Entertainment / Sun, 24 May 2026 News18

He Proposed To Hema Malini During Sholay, She Called Him A Male Chauvinist, Dharmendra Never Shared Screen With Him

Last Updated: May 24, 2026, 15:57 ISTBefore Hema Malini married Dharmendra, she was reportedly in a serious relationship with Sanjeev Kumar after they worked together in Seeta Aur Geeta. According to biographer Hanif Zaveri, Sanjeev Kumar wanted Hema Malini to quit films after marriage, but she refused. Hema later called his thinking “male chauvinistic.” Reports also claimed the breakup affected their films, with Sanjeev Kumar reportedly avoiding scenes with Hema Malini and Dharmendra allegedly refusing to share frames with him in Apne Dushman. ADVERTISEMENT5 / 9 In later interviews, Hema Malini described Sanjeev Kumar’s expectations from marriage as “male chauvinistic” and admitted she could not see herself becoming a stay-at-home wife. ADVERTISEMENT7 / 9 Hema Malini eventually married Dharmendra in 1980, despite controversy surrounding their relationship because Dharmendra was already married to his first wife, Prakash Kaur.

Last Updated: May 24, 2026, 15:57 IST

Before Hema Malini married Dharmendra, she was reportedly in a serious relationship with Sanjeev Kumar after they worked together in Seeta Aur Geeta. According to biographer Hanif Zaveri, Sanjeev Kumar wanted Hema Malini to quit films after marriage, but she refused. Hema later called his thinking “male chauvinistic.” Reports also claimed the breakup affected their films, with Sanjeev Kumar reportedly avoiding scenes with Hema Malini and Dharmendra allegedly refusing to share frames with him in Apne Dushman.

1 / 9 Before becoming one of Hindi cinema’s most respected actors, Sanjeev Kumar battled serious health issues and suffered a heart attack in his 30s, something that reportedly made him hesitant about marriage.

2 / 9 Sanjeev Kumar and Hema Malini reportedly grew close while working together in films like Seeta Aur Geeta, where their chemistry became hugely popular with audiences.

3 / 9 Even during Sholay, reports suggest Sanjeev Kumar still hoped to marry Hema Malini and had serious conversations with her family about settling down together.

4 / 9 Even during Sholay, reports suggest Sanjeev Kumar still hoped to marry Hema Malini and had serious conversations with her family about settling down together. Their relationship reportedly fell apart because Sanjeev Kumar wanted Hema Malini to quit films after marriage, while she wanted to continue acting at the peak of her career.

5 / 9 In later interviews, Hema Malini described Sanjeev Kumar’s expectations from marriage as “male chauvinistic” and admitted she could not see herself becoming a stay-at-home wife. Biographer Hanif Zaveri later claimed Sanjeev Kumar was deeply heartbroken after the breakup and even avoided sharing scenes with Hema Malini in some films afterward.

6 / 9 Reports linked to Sanjeev Kumar’s biography also claimed Dharmendra refused to face the camera with Sanjeev Kumar in the same frame during the filming of Apne Dushman, forcing scenes to be shot separately.

7 / 9 Hema Malini eventually married Dharmendra in 1980, despite controversy surrounding their relationship because Dharmendra was already married to his first wife, Prakash Kaur.

8 / 9 Sanjeev Kumar never married and died in 1985 at the age of 47, while Hema Malini and Dharmendra went on to become one of Hindi cinema’s most talked-about couples.