Hema Malini refutes rumours of rift with Dharmendra's first wife Prakash Kaur: 'Kept a separate prayer meet because...'

Veteran actor Hema Malini has addressed speculation surrounding the separate prayer meets held for her late husband, Dharmendra, calling them a “personal family matter” and dismissing rumours of any discord with Dharmendra’s first wife, Prakash Kaur.

Speculation about the rift began after Dharmendra’s death, when his sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, along with their mother Prakash Kaur, organised a prayer meet at Mumbai’s Taj Lands End on November 27. On the same day, Hema Malini hosted a bhajan at her residence, followed by another prayer meet in Delhi a few days later.

In an interview with ETimes, Hema Malini said, “Yeh humare ghar ka personal mamla hai.” She clarified that the arrangements were made based on personal and professional considerations and should not be seen as a sign of conflict.

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She said, “Yeh humare ghar ka personal mamla hai. We talked to each other. I kept one prayer meet at my home because my group of people are different. Then, I kept one in Delhi because I am in politics, and it was important for me to keep a prayer meeting there for my friends from that field. Mathura is my constituency, and the people there are mad about him. So, I kept a prayer meeting there as well. I am happy with what I did.”

Speaking about Dharmendra’s final days, Malini said his death came as a shock to the family, particularly as they were preparing to celebrate his 90th birthday on December 8.

“It was an inconsolable shock. It has been terrible because for a month we were struggling when he was not well. We were constantly trying to cope with whatever was happening in the hospital. We were all there—I, Esha, Ahana, Sunny, Bobby—all together,” she said, adding that the family had believed he would recover, as he had after previous hospitalisations.

She further said, “He was talking to us nicely. On my birthday (October 16), he even wished me. His birthday was coming up on December 8, when he was turning 90, and we were thinking of celebrating it nicely. The preparations were on, and then suddenly, he was not there. To personally see him sink was very difficult. Nobody should have to go through this kind of situation.”

Hema Malini is now set to resume work following the period of mourning.