Hema Malini was kept apart from Dharmendra by...: ''You can't marry...'

Veteran actor Dharmendra was recently hospitalized at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital due to ill health, but the good news is that he's now recovering well and has returned home. As fans send their best wishes, an old interview of his wife, Hema Malini, has resurfaced online, bringing back some interesting memories from their early days. During her appearance on Indian Idol Season 12, Hema recalled how her father used to keep a close eye on her while she was shooting with Dharmendra. She shared, "Usually my mother or aunt would accompany me, but once my father came along because he was worried Dharam ji and I might spend time alone." Laughing at the memory, she added, "My father sat beside me in the car, and Dharam ji simply took the next seat!"

Hema also revealed that her father once confronted Dharmendra, telling him, "You're a married man; you can't marry my daughter." At the time, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had four children, Sunny, Bobby, Vijeta, and Ajeita Deol.

Despite the complex situation, Hema always handled it with grace. In an interview, she said, "His first wife and children have never felt my intrusion in their lives. I married him, but I never took him away from his family."

In her biography, Hema wrote that she never spoke directly to Prakash Kaur but continues to hold deep respect for her. According to reports, Dharmendra converted to Islam to marry Hema, and Prakash reportedly accepted the marriage without resentment, saying, "I have not lost my trust in him."