During the 1970s and early 1980s, Hema Malini was among Bollywood’s biggest stars and was widely regarded as one of the industry’s highest-paid actresses of that era. However, in a recent conversation on a podcast, the veteran actor and politician dismissed that long-standing claim, saying she never earned the kind of fees today’s stars command and was never driven by money in her career choices.
Hema Malini denies being Bollywood’s highest-paid actress
Addressing the perception head-on during a conversation with Hindi Rush, Hema Malini said, “No, not at all. Kisne bola yeh? (Who said that? ) We used to get a very small amount. Itna kuch nahi dete the (They didn’t pay us much). Directors and producers liked me a lot, but I never worked for money. Jaise jaise naam hota hai (As your popularity grew), they would increase the payment a little. That’s all. I never got the exorbitant fees that today’s stars receive. Uska ittu bhi nahi milta tha humko (We didn’t even get a fraction of that).”Reflecting on the value of her work beyond the paycheque, Hema Malini added, “But uske baat hi alag hai lekin. Jo mila usmein jo hum logon ne pictures kari, that is more earning than actual money. (But that’s a different story altogether. Whatever we gained from the films we worked on was worth much more than the actual money. The experience and recognition meant more than the payment. ) Whatever a producer could afford to pay was fine. Otherwise, I never demanded, ‘Itna hi chahiye varna nahi karungi picture’ (I want this amount or I won’t do the film). I never did that.”
Hema Malini recalls her mother’s role in dealing with producers
The actor also credited her mother for handling all financial negotiations during her career, revealing just how little importance was placed on fees at the time. She said, “My mother handled everything, and she was very liberal with all the producers. If a producer said, ‘I can’t pay much for this film,’ she would say, ‘No problem.’ We never insisted on money. Whatever little envelope they gave us, we accepted it, almost like bheeksha (alms).“
About Hema Malini
Hema Malini is one of Hindi cinema’s most celebrated actresses, often referred to by the moniker “Dream Girl” for her work through the 1970s and 80s in films spanning romance, drama and action. Beyond acting, she is also an accomplished Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancer, and has directed and produced several film and television projects over the decades. In addition to her film career, Malini has had a long-standing political career as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), having served as a Member of Parliament representing Mathura in the Lok Sabha. She is married to actor Dharmendra, and is the mother of actresses Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.