When Dimple Kapadia told Hema Malini, ‘Dharmendra will never marry you’: A look back at Bollywood’s most emotional chapter |

Veteran actor Dharmendra, received treatment for his age-related health issues at Breach Candy Hospital. As doctors worked to make sure that the 89-years-old was stable, friends and colleagues began to pay him a visit and offer their support to the family.As fans prayed for the actor’s recovery and shared their best memories of the star, some also recalled the emotional passage from Malini Hema’s biography, Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl, released by Ram Kamal Mukherjee. The book also highlighted Malini’s friendship with Dimple Kapadia during her budding romance with Dharmendra.

A Bond Between Two Women

The biography recounted Dimple’s close friendship with Hema, particularly during film shoots. Dimple, alongside her husband, Rajesh Khanna, would visit Hema’s sets, and Khanna frequently worked with Hema. Despite the nine-year age difference and very different positions in their careers, the two formed a bond that surprised everyone.Hema recalled her first impression of Dimple as a young girl forced to grow up too soon. “This kid was all wrapped up in a big sari, with a jooda and bangles covering her arms. Then she had a baby soon after,” Hema shared. She described Dimple as lonely and struggling under the weight of a difficult marriage. “During outdoor shoots, she would sit smoking and drinking, but I never judged her. I knew she was going through tension and had no company. Rajesh would shoot all day, then spend evenings drinking with his friends.”

Dimple’s Honest but Harsh Words

At that time, Hema herself was dealing with her own emotional struggles—deeply in love with Dharmendra, who was already married to Prakash Kaur and a father of four. Dimple’s relations and lifestyle began to haunt her, whereby she crudely told Hema in her moment of crisis, “Dharmendra will never marry you.”Later, Dimple reflected on her words, admitting that she had projected her frustrations onto Hema. “I was hot-headed in those days. I used to get worked up about her problems. I’d tell her things like, ‘This man is never going to marry you. You better do something about it.’ And if she had listened to me…”Contrary to Dimple’s prediction, Dharmendra and Hema Malini did eventually marry in 1980, solidifying one of Bollywood’s most enduring love stories.