Hema Malini Recalls Warm Bond With Dharmendra's Father: 'He Would Arm-Wrestle My Father, Brother'

In 1980, top actors Hema Malini and Dharmendra tied the knot in a low-key ceremony. It was a traditional Tamil wedding that took place at her brother’s residence. That time, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and they had four children together – Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Ajeeta Deol and Vijayta Deol.

In the biography Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, Hema Malini fondly remembered her father-in-law, Kewal Kishan Singh Deol, who had a great affection for her and her family. He would often visit her father and brother and instead of exchanging handshakes, he would playfully engage them in arm-wrestling matches! After defeating them, he would jokingly say, “Tum log ghee-makkhan-lassi khao, idli aur sambhar se taqat nahi aati’ (You guys should eat ghee, butter and lassi. Idli and sambhar won’t give you strength).”

She reminisced the good old days and said that her her father-in-law (Dharmendra’s father) was a very jovial person. Hema has previously shared details about her father, VS Ramanujam Chakravarthy, being apprehensive about her relationship with Dharmendra. During the filming of the movie Charas in Malta, her father, Dharmendra and she were supposed to travel together in the same car to the shooting location. Hema’s father intentionally positioned himself in the middle of Dharmendra and Hema. During an appearance on Rajat Sharma’s Aap Ki Adalat, Hema rememebered that her father did not approve of their relationship due to Dharmendra’s existing marriage.

Before relocating to Mumbai to live with his son, who had already achieved stardom in the film industry, Kewal Kishan Singh Deol worked as a school teacher in Punjab. Initially, he held reservations about Dharmendra’s choice to pursue a career in movies during the early days. However, he soared with when his son achieved tremendous success in the film industry.