Hema Malini, Indian cinema’s Dream Girl, was born in a Tamil Iyengar family based in Delhi. She made her debut in Raj Kapoor’s unsuccessful Sapnon Ka Saudagar (1968), but bounced back with Johnny Mera Naam (1970) opposite Dev Anand. Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) with her outstanding double act was a major hit and in Andaz (1971) she proved her versatility playing a young widow. Her star continued to rise with such hits as Jugnu (1973) Amir Garib (1974) and Prem Nagar (1974) – the latter two bailing out Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna who had hit a bad patch at the box-office. Her Jugnu co-star and future husband, Dharmendra, became her hottest on-screen hero and the two peaked in Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay. Three films with Gulzar, Khushboo (1975), Kinara (1977) and Meera (1979) featured her at her subtle yet expressive best. With the approach of the ‘80s, however, she was losing her box-office appeal. She decided to concentrate on her career as a dancer (Odissi, Bharatnatyam) and Film and TV production. She directed the film Dil Aashna Hai (that introduced Shah Rukh Khan) in 1991 and the series ‘Noopur’ and ‘Mohini’ for television in 1990 and 1994 respectively. Post 2000, she has appeared in films like Baghban, Baabul and Veer Zaara in supporting roles, radiance and beauty, still intact. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1999 for her contribution to Indian Cinema. Her older daughter, Esha, is a rising Hindi film heroine