Hema Malini worked in Tamil cinema before making her mark in Hindi films. The 1961 film Ithu Saathiyam was a part of his initial acting journey. Although this film did not give him much recognition, it played an important role in the beginning of his film career. After this he stepped into Hindi cinema and caught the attention of the audience with his acting and attractive personality. In the 1970s and early 1980s, she was counted among the highest paid actresses of Hindi films. This achievement reflects his popularity and stardom during that period.
Many of her films had a major contribution in creating the identity of Hema Malini. Her performance in Sita Aur Geeta impressed the audience while the character of Basanti in Sholay is still very popular. Her pairing with Dharmendra was very much liked by the audience. Veeru and Basanti's chemistry on screen became one of the memorable moments of Hindi cinema. Both of them worked together in many films and later got married. The popularity of their pair still remains among film buffs.
An interesting thing about his career is that he worked with artists of different generations of the Kapoor family. His film journey with actors like Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor connects to many eras of Hindi cinema. In this way he maintained his identity with the changing times and played different types of characters.
Apart from acting, Hema Malini is also a trained classical dancer. She has trained in Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam along with Bharatanatyam. He displayed his dancing skills on the stages of the country and abroad. He also established Natya Vihar Kalakendra to promote Indian traditional dance. On the occasion of the consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya in the year 2024, she played the role of Mother Sita in a dance drama based on Ramayana.
Hema Malini's life extends beyond films and dance. PETA India gave him the Person of the Year award in 2011 for his love for animals and conservation efforts. He also made his mark in politics. She was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2003 to 2009 and later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and worked in active politics.
Her name Dream Girl became especially popular with the film Dream Girl released in the year 1977. Her beauty and commanding screen presence made this nickname her permanent identity. She also worked on television as the presenter of Doordarshan's program Rangoli and was associated with the production and direction of many serials.
Hema Malini also showed her talent in the field of direction. He directed the 1992 film Dil Aashna Hai. The film starred Shahrukh Khan and Divya Bharti in lead roles. Shahrukh Khan had signed this film before Deewana but Deewana was released first and this marked his Hindi film debut.