Hema Malini’s mother wanted her to marry this legendary actor, it’s not Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra

Hema Malini and Girish Karnad

Hema Malini, one of the most successful Indian film actors, turned 77 on Thursday, October 16. The Baghban actress married superstar Dharmendra in 1980, with whom she shared screen space in many hit films like Sholay, Raja Jani, Seeta Aur Geeta, Charas and Tum Haseen Main Jawan.

Hema Malini and Dharmendra have two daughters: Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Before Hema, Dharmendra was married to Prakash Kaur, with whom he shares four children: Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Ajeita Deol and Vijeta Deol. While Sunny and Bobby continue to enjoy success in Bollywood, Esha’s journey has been a difficult one with many failures.

However, Hema’s mother Jaya Chakravarthy wanted her to marry another legendary actor. Jaya managed her daughter’s career very closely, especially in the early years. He was also the costume designer and producer of the films Dream Girl (1977), Swami (1977) and Dillag (1978). According to reports, Jaya wanted Hema to marry Girish Karnad.

Who was Girish Karnad?

Girish Karnad was a famous Indian playwright, actor and filmmaker who played a pivotal role in shaping modern Indian theatre. Written mostly in Kannada, his plays explored themes of mythology, history and folklore, while also dealing with contemporary social and political issues. His groundbreaking play Tughlaq depicted the tragic idealism of a historical ruler and became a landmark in Indian theatre. Other important works such as Hayavadana and Nagamandala examined identity, gender, and human relations through innovative storytelling.

Besides theatre, Karnad had a distinguished career in Hindi cinema; He has acted in critically acclaimed films and directed thought-provoking films. Some of his most famous films included Utsav, Nishaant, Manthan, Iqbal, Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai. He was also an intellectual known for his outspoken views on secularism and cultural freedom. Karnad has received numerous awards, including the Jnanpith Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. His legacy continues to influence Indian literature, theater and cinema, making him one of the country’s most influential cultural voices. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 81.

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