DNA

With her birthday approaching on Tuesday October 16, Hema Malini gets sentimental about her world - husband Dharmendra and daughters Esha and Ahana

Mumbai, Oct 15: Call her Mrignayani (doe-eyed), call her Dreamgirl, but what is also  Hema Malini’s most disarming feature is her smile—an attribute that steals away the years. Reviewing her life on the eve of her birthday she says, “I never thought I’d be achieving so much. I’m just lucky.”

Mera Dharam

Ask her if she has any regrets and Hema says, “No! Except that I wish I had more of Dharamji (actor and husband Dharmendra). Of course, he’s there but not as much as I’d like him to be. You have to make adjustments all life because of one decision that you’ve taken,” adding, “It’s not anybody’s mistake, one can fall in love anytime.”

Hema continues, “Sometimes when I’m alone, I do feel lost. There have been ups and downs, but I’m not the one to sit and crib. I accept the situation and move on. My Guruma (Ma Indira Devi) would say, ‘Be satisfied with what you have’.”

Not without my daughters

Ask her to recall the finest moments in her life and Hema says, “My Esha’s (Deol) birth! I always wanted a baby. I felt, ‘Yeh meri hai, my own possession! Of course this includes my Ahana too,” adding, “Though Ahana is still the baby, at times she speaks like a grandmother. I often seek her advice. Esha is tough as a boy. If I’m upset she reassures me saying, ‘I’m always by your side’.”

Recalling her equation with her late mother Jaya Chakravarthy, Hema says, “I was an obedient daughter. Then I became her mother. It felt very beautiful when I held her in my arms. But it hurt to realise what she was and how one becomes in old age.”

Dream compliment

Few know that Dharmendra has poetic leanings. What does he have to say to his muse? “Whenever I wear a piece of jewellery and I ask Dharmaji how it looks, he says, ‘Aapke chehre se hamari nazar nahin hathti, to hum zevar kya dekhenge’,” says Hema blushing,  “No matter how much I fight with him, I know he’s a wonderful human being. That’s why I regret, ‘Why did I say this to him?’ I forgive all that he does.”

Quiz her on why they never make public appearances together and she says, “Durlabh hai! It’s impossible to see us together. It’s very silly and funny. But that’s the way it’s been.  So let it go on…till we exist,” she says with dewy eyes.