Malini was born in aTamilIyengar Brahmin[19] family to Jaya Lakshmi and VSR Chakravarti Iyengar inAmmankudi,Madras Province (nowTamil Nadu).[20][21][22] She attended the Andhra Mahila Sabha inChennai, where her favourite subject was history.[23] She studied at DTEA Mandir Marg until the 11th Standard, after which she pursued her acting career.[24]
On 11 June 2015, Malini became a grandmother when her younger daughter, Ahana Deol Vohra, gave birth to her first child, Darien Vohra and twin girls Astraia and Adea Vohra were born on 26 November 2020. On 19 October 2017, her elder daughter, Esha Deol, gave birth to a girl, Radhya Takhtani and another baby girl Miraya Takhtani on 10 June 2019.[32] Businessman Vaibhav Vohra is her son-in-law and Bharat Takhtani is her ex-son-in-law.
In the 1990s, she produced and directed the 1992 filmDil Aashna Hai, starringDivya Bharti andShah Rukh Khan in the leading roles. She also produced and directed her second feature filmMohini (1995), starring her nieceMadhoo and actorSudesh Berry in the leading roles. She then focused on dancing and television work, only occasionally appearing in films.[33] In 1997, she acted inVinod Khanna's productionHimalay Putra.
After taking a break from films for a number of years, Malini made a comeback withBaghban (2003),[33] for which she earned aFilmfare Best Actress Award nomination. She also made guest appearances in the 2004 filmVeer-Zaara and the 2007 filmLaaga Chunari Mein Daag, in addition to a supporting role in the 2006 filmBaabul. In 2010, she acted inSadiyaan alongside fellow veteran actressRekha. In 2011, she produced and directed her third feature filmTell Me O Kkhuda which featured both her husband Dharmendra and her daughter Esha Deol, which was a box office failure.[36] In 2017 she acted in the filmEk Thi Rani Aisi Bhi in the role ofVijaya Raje Scindia of Gwalior, with Vinod Khanna as her husband; unfortunately it was Khanna's last film. The film was directed byGul Bahar Singh. The film was released on 21 April 2017. Her latest film isShimla Mirchi, starringRajkummar Rao andRakul Preet Singh.[37] The movie was theatrically released in India on 3 January 2020 and made available on Netflix on 27 January 2020.
In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Hema Malini retained her Mathura Lok Sabha seat with comfortable margin. While Hema Malini won 6,71,293 votes, her nearest rival Kunwar Narendra Singh received 3,77,822 votes, so that she won the Mathura seat by around 3 lakh votes.[43][44]
In 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Malini won Mathura Lok Sabha constituency by a huge margin against Congress candidate Mukesh Dhanger, making it a hat-trick from Mathura.[45][46]
In 2016 the Bombay High Court entertained a Public Interest Litigation challenging allotment of a plot of land in Mumbai to Malini's dance academy. The petitioner Ketan Tirodkar sought to file a cheating case against the actress for defrauding the government to allot a piece of land which was reserved for gardens. The State Government of Maharashtra informed the Bombay High Court that Malini had not yet accepted the land allotted to her.[47][48][49][50]
Malini is a supporter of the animal rights organisation,PETA India. In 2009, she wrote a letter to theMumbai Municipal Commissioner urging him to ban horse carriages fromMumbai's busy streets.[51] In 2011, she wrote to the Union Minister forEnvironment and Forests,Jairam Ramesh, urging him to banbullfighting (jallikattu).[52] She said, "My friends at PETA have organised investigations atJallikattu events and documented that bulls are pulled roughly by their nose rings, punched, pummelled, hit with sharp sticks and crammed into trucks so tightly that they can barely move".[53] PETA named Malini their "PETA Person of the Year" for 2011.[54] As avegetarian, she said, "Knowing that my food choices are helping the planet and animals too, makes me happy".[55]
Malini is a trainedBharatanatyam dancer. Her daughtersEsha Deol and Ahana Deol are trainedOdissi dancers. They performed with Malini in a production calledParampara for charitable events.[56][57] She also performed with her daughters at theKhajuraho Dance Festival.[58]
Hema Malini directed and produced serials for Doordarshan like Terah Panneh, Rani Laxmibai, Bharti, and Noopur. She also appeared as anchor for weekly Rangoli on Doordarshan.
Malini has appeared in television serials such asJai Mata Ki (1999, Doordarshan), directed byPuneet Issar. She played the role of goddessDurga.[62]
Other television series appearances includeKamini Damini onSahara One where she played twin sisters andNoopur which Malini directed and in which she played a Bharatanatyam dancer.[33] Malini also starred inYug, a fictional series depicting the story ofIndian freedom fighters and their struggle to win freedom for India.
In 2007, Malini entered a promotional contract withKent RO Systems, makers of a mineral water purifier system.[66] Malini also became a brand ambassador forPothys, a textile showroom inChennai.[67]
Malini is considered among the finest actresses ofHindi cinema and is regarded for her range of roles, her dance, beauty and her styling.[68][69] During the 1970s and early 1980s, she was among the highest paid actress.[8] She appeared inBox Office India's "Top Actress" list 16 times, from 1970 to 1985 and topped the list 11 times (1972-1979, 1981-1983).[8][10]Rediff.com placed Malini in their "Bollywood's Best Actresses of all time" list.[70] In 2022, Malini was also placed inOutlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" list.[71]Filmfare included Malini's performances inSeeta Aur Geeta andSholay at 46th and 41st place respectively, in its list of Bollywood's "80 Iconic Performances".[72]
Malini was known as among the style icons of the 70s, with funky polka dot blouses as her style statement.[73] She was placed inTimes of India's "50 Beautiful Faces" list.[74] Malini has been cited in the media as the "Dream Girl" of Bollywood. Bindu Batra ofIndia Today noted, "Her rise was ascribed partly to her youth and largely to her cultivated resemblance toVyjayanthimala."[75] Rachit Gupta ofFilmfare feels her "dominance was unprecedented" and said, "Malini defined everything that the Dream Girl tag stood for. She could dance, act, emote with equal ease."[76]Rajeev Masand termed her the "radiant superstar".[77] Dinesh Raheja ofRediff.com praised her "takes-your-eyes-prisoner beauty" and "tinkling laugh" and noted, "Hema was never in danger of being mistaken for a thespian. But for sheer screen presence, she was hard to beat."[78]
Malini was placed 18th among the "Greatest Bollywood Stars", in a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema in 2013.[79][80] Malini received the "Living Legend Award" byFICCI in recognition of her contribution to the Indian entertainment industry.[81] The2007 Bangkok International Film Festival screened several films starring Hema Malini in a special tribute programme[82] She has been the recipient ofRajinikanth Legend award (2010),[83]Rajiv Gandhi Award (2010),[84] andANR National Award (2011).[85] For her presence around the world, she received the International Personality of the Year award at the 12th Asian Achievers Awards[86]
^India Today International. Living Media International Limited. 2004. p. 23. "I'm a pukka Iyengar Brahmin...".Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved28 July 2021.
