Dharamji is still a He-man: Hema Malini

Actor-turned-producer-director, Hema Malini is wielding the megaphone almost after a decade to make a family drama, Tell Me O Kkhuda. She’s overwhelmed by the opportunity to work with husband, Dharmendra

Actor-turned-producer-director, Hema Malini is wielding the megaphone almost after a decade to make a family drama, Tell Me O Kkhuda (TMOK). She’s overwhelmed by the opportunity to work with husband, Dharmendra, who she claims, is like a ‘He-Man’ even at 75 years of age, and has highlighted it in the film too.



"It’s very exciting for me. He is legend and an actor of such calibre. He has done many types of roles with such perfection. It’s a great experience to direct a person who has been directed by almost every noted director of the film industry from his time," says Hema, who made her directorial debut with Dil Aashna Hai (1992). She adds, "He is still a He-Man and has done action in my film too. There is a scene where he rescues a girl as well as a lot of action scenes he has choreographed himself."

Esha Hema

TMOK revolves around a girl who is in search of her father. Hema’s daughter, Esha Deol plays the protagonist and Arjan Bajwa plays the lead opposite her. Hema also divulges that Dharmendra used a lot of improvisation for his character."



"He wrote all his dialogues himself. He loves to be in front of the camera; that is his passion, his love and his life." The couple is remembered for their films like Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Sholay (1974), Dream Girl (1977) and Razia Sultan (1983) among others, but working with him in this film, Hema claims she experienced a completely different Dharmendra as an actor. "He was very different from the roles we performed together. Now, I can see he involves himself much more," she says.



Not competing with Ra.One

Tell Me O Kkhuda (TMOK) will release on October 28, at the same time as Shah Rukh Khan’s much-awaited and talked about superhero film, RA.One, but Hema believes that it doesn’t pose any risk for her film: "There is no competition with RA.One. It’s a very big-budget venture. Mine is not that big, but it’s not small either. So, there will be audience for my film," she says, adding, "There’s place for everybody. We have a huge population and we cannot do injustice to them by releasing just one film."