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Hema Malini and Dharmendra, who celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary on May 2, made a beautiful couple on screen.
They did as many as 33 films together, many of them blockbusters.
Their first film together was Asit Sen's Sharafat in 1970, one of Hema Malini's perfonal favourites.
"It was my first film with Dharamji and I was like, 'My God, what a handsome man!' The story was very powerful. It was about a professor, who rescues a devdasi's daughter from a life of disrepute. I had the more powerful role," she tells Subhash K Jha.
"Naya Zamana (which released the same year) was also a reformist drama, directed by Pramod Chakravarthy, who brought us together in many hits like Jugnu, Dream Girl and Azaad."
1975 was a decisive year for the jodi. It was the year they did their most successful film, Sholay.
"Rameshji (Sippy, Director) and I also worked together in Seeta Aur Geeta, which is one of my most favourite films. Seeta Aur Geeta had me in a double role," Hema says.
"Dharamji was so likeable as one of my love interests. In 1975, we had another big hit called Pratiggya."
"Dulal Guha directed us in Pratiggya and in Dost, which featured me with Dharamji and Shatruji (Shatrughan Sinha)."
"Another film of Dulal Guha which I like is Do Dishayen. It was not a success but a challenging film for both of us," Hema looks back.
She also recalls Basu Chatterjee's Dillagi with affection: "Woh chali nahin. But what a nice, simple film with beautiful songs and lovely roles for both of us."
