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Hema Malini shared that she wanted Dharmendra to take on an “important role” in Dil Aashna Hai, but he didn’t want to act under her direction.
Hema Malini’s directorial debut starred Shah Rukh Khan.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Hema Malini was the queen of Bollywood, but by the 1990s, she was ready to step behind the camera. When she set out to direct her first film, Dil Aashna Hai, in 1992, she decided to cast none other than the rising star Shah Rukh Khan. But when it came to a key role, she wanted her husband, Dharmendra, to join the cast. However, he wasn’t having it and refused to work under her direction.
In her biography, Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl, penned by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, she revealed that her first choice for a role was actually Vinod Khanna. Unfortunately, he was too busy to fit it into his schedule. Hema then turned to Amitabh Bachchan, but at that time, he was on a break from films and also had to say no. “For Dil Aashna Hai, I wanted to sign Vinod Khanna. But he couldn’t do the film because he couldn’t accommodate those dates. Actually, I had originally approached Amitabh Bachchan to do this role, but at that time he told me that he wasn’t signing any films,” she said.
Hema Malini then shared that she wanted Dharmendra to take on an “important role” in Dil Aashna Hai, but he didn’t want to act under her direction. His absence during the film’s muhurat led to some gossip, but he put those rumours to rest by attending the audio launch and premiere. Hema clarified that he was in the USA at the time of the muhurat but was very supportive while she was making the film.
“I wanted Dharam-ji to play an important role in my film, but he was not willing to act under my direction. People said all kinds of things after the film’s mahurat because Dharam-ji couldn’t attend the party. But there was no truth to that. He couldn’t attend it because he was in America. Every day I used to update him about the film’s developments. He was a great support. My daughters too were particularly excited about this film. (Later, Dharmendra made it a point to attend the audio release of the film and the premiere show),” she added.
Dharmendra married his first wife, Prakash Kaur, in 1954 at the age of 19. They have four children: sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, both actors, and daughters Vijeta and Ajieta. With Hema Malini, he has two daughters – Esha and Ahana Deol. Hema Malini made her directorial debut with Dil Aashna Hai in 1992. The film featured Shah Rukh Khan, who was just starting to rise in the industry.
