Before understanding the truth behind Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s marriage, recall one of Dharmendra’s famous couplets, which he once recited in an interview:

“Imtihaan ho to jaaiz ho, na jaaiz na ho…
Tanqeed ho tanqeed, tanz na ho…
Kuch kehne se pehle soch liya karo…
Talon ka zakhm bhar jaata hai, alfaaz ka nahin.”

Through these lines, he tried to convey that stories often outlive the truth, and once written, they become “history,” whether accurate or not.

Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s love story has always fascinated audiences. Despite the controversy that surrounded them—a married man with four children falling in love with a leading actress of the time—the dignity with which both handled their relationship remains noteworthy. Their bond, maintained quietly for years, became an unusual example in an industry where relationships often crumble quickly.

The Big Question: Did Dharmendra convert for marriage?
One of the most persistent stories about the couple is that Dharmendra and Hema Malini changed their religion to marry because Dharmendra’s first wife, Prakash Kaur, refused to grant him a divorce. Under the Hindu Marriage Act, Dharmendra couldn’t legally marry again without dissolving his first marriage, so rumours grew that the couple converted to Islam and married secretly in 1989.

According to these claims, Dharmendra allegedly took the name Dilawar Khan and Hema became Ayesha B. A “nikahnama” circulated widely in the media, even naming the qazi who supposedly solemnised the marriage. This naturally fuelled criticism—Dharmendra was accused of abandoning his first family, and Hema of breaking a home.

However, both actors have denied this repeatedly.
Hema Malini’s autobiography Beyond the Dream Girl also dismisses the conversion story as fiction. Dharmendra went on record many times saying:

“I am not the kind of man who would change my religion for personal benefit.”

A second marriage according to Iyengar customs
Another narrative suggests that after the alleged secret nikah, Dharmendra and Hema Malini married again in front of family members—this time following Iyengar Brahmin traditions, since Hema belongs to an Iyengar family. This version too is debated and has never been confirmed by either of them.

So, was their marriage illegal?
The legal complexities remain a grey area. Dharmendra never divorced Prakash Kaur, and public records never clearly established the legality of his second marriage. However, both families chose to keep personal matters private, never escalating the issue publicly.

The election affidavit controversy
Their marriage again came under scrutiny in 2004 when Dharmendra contested Lok Sabha elections from Bikaner. His affidavit listed assets under the heading “wife,” but did not clearly specify whether the wife was Prakash Kaur or Hema. This sparked political questions.

Later, when Hema contested from Mathura in 2014, her affidavit clearly mentioned “Dharmendra Deol” as her husband. Congress accused her of misrepresentation, but she dismissed the claim as a “personal matter.”

Public life, private acceptance
Over time, the couple’s social media posts and public appearances made it clear that Dharmendra was very much part of Hema’s life and their daughters’—Esha and Ahana—lives. Both daughters use “Deol” as their surname.

Prakash Kaur’s dignified silence
Dharmendra’s first wife, Prakash Kaur, chose not to inflame the controversy. She stood by her husband, raised her children with dignity, and refused to blame Hema Malini. In an old interview, she famously said that Hema’s beauty could captivate anyone and that her husband was hardly the only actor to fall in love outside marriage.