From facing rejections to becoming Bollywood's 'dream girl', Hema Malini reigns all hearts

Hema Malini has time and again proved that she's the one and only 'Dream Girl' of Bollywood with her on-screen charisma, graceful dancing skills as well as ability to emote everything with extreme sincerity. At a time when the industry was dominated by prominent male figures, Hema Malini stood at par with the heroes and delivered superhit films back-to-back. 

Before taking on her first lead role in the 1968 film Sapno Ka Saudagar, the actor faced her own set of rejections in the Tamil film industry. According to IMDb, the Sholay star faced rejection at the hands of Tamil Director, CV Sridhar, who quipped that she was 'too thin' to be cast as the leading lady in the film Venniradai, post which the role went to Venniradai Nirmala. 

Hema Malini's inspirational journey in the film industry 

However, rejection didn't deter Hema from continuing working on herself and acing her skills. She later appeared in the song Singara Therukku Selai from the 1963 Tamil film Idhu Sathiyam starring SA Asokan as the hero. However, her keen eye for perfecting her act and relentless dedication landed her a dream role opposite superstar Raj Kapoor in Sapnon Ka Saudagar. 

She played the role of a dreamy village girl who caught the attention of a gentleman in rural India (played by Kapoor).  The film turned out to be a commercial failure. However, the audiences knew that they found their 'Dream Girl'. The actor then went on to star in masala entertainers like Waris, Sharafat as well as the superhit film Johny Mera Naam. 

In her career, Hema Malini has starred in almost 155 movies, as well as turned director and producer in some of her ventures. Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini also delivered multiple blockbuster hits together. Among myriad accolades to her credit, Hema has been presented with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour awarded by the Government of India. 

The actor not only stunned the audiences with her charm but also stole the hearts of Bollywood actors like Sanjeev Kumar and Jeetendra, who brought marriage proposals to her. She then married Dharmendra in accordance with Islamic rites and gave birth to two daughters Esha and Ahana Deol. 

(Image: @dreamgirlhemamalini/Instagram)