In the 1970s and early 1980s, Hema Malini She is one of Bollywood’s biggest stars and is widely considered to be one of the highest-paid actresses in the industry during her time. However, in a recent podcast conversation, the veteran actor and politician refuted this long-standing claim, saying she had never been paid the kind of fees today’s stars demand and had never been driven by money in her career choices.
Hema Malini denies being Bollywood’s highest-paid actress
In a conversation with Hindi Rush, Hema Malini echoed the sentiment head-on: “No, not at all. Kisne bola yeh? (Who said that?) We used to get very little money. Itna kuch nahi dete (They didn’t pay us much). Directors and producers liked me a lot, but I never worked for money. Jaise doesn’t make much money. hai (as your popularity grows), they increase the remuneration a little bit.” Uska ittu bhi nahi milta tha humko (we didn’t get even a small portion of it). “Reflecting on the value of her work beyond a salary, Hema Malini added, “But uske baat hi alag hai lekin. Jo mila usmein jo hum logon ne pictures kari, it’s more lucrative than the actual money. (But that’s a different story entirely. Whatever we get from the films we make is more affordable to the producers).” Otherwise, I never asked for “Itna hi chahiye varna nahi karungi picture” (I want this amount, otherwise I would not have done the film). I’ve never done this. “
Hema Malini recalls mother’s role in dealing with producers
The actor also praised her mother for handling all financial negotiations during her career, revealing how little emphasis was placed on fees at the time. She said: “My mother did everything and she was very open-minded to all the producers. If a producer says, “I can’t pay too much for this movie,” she’ll say, “No problem.” We never force money. Whatever little envelope they give us, we accept it like bheeksha (alms).“
About Hema Malini
Hema Malini is one of the most famous actresses in the Hindi film industry, often called the “dream girl” for her romance, drama and action films in the 1970s and 1980s. Apart from acting, she is an accomplished Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancer and has directed and produced several film and television projects over the decades. Apart from her film career, Malini also had a long political career as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and served as a Member of Parliament representing Mathura in the Lok Sabha. she married an actor Dharmendraand is the mother of the actress Aisha Dell and Ahana Deol.
