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 jaise naam hota hai (as your popularity grows) they increase the pay a little bit and that’s it I never got the high fees that stars charge nowadays. 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 salary, Hema Malini adds, “But uske baat hi alag hai lekin. Jo mila usmein jo hum logon ne pictures kari, it’s more lucrative than actual money. (But that’s a different story entirely. Anything we get from the films we do is worth more than actual money. Experience and recognition are more important than remuneration.) Whatever the producer can afford will do. Otherwise, I never asked for “Itna hi chahiye varna nahi karungi picture” (I wanted this amount, otherwise I wouldn’t 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 mum ran everything and she was very open-minded to all the producers. If a producer said, “I can’t pay too much for this movie,” she would say, “No problem.” We never pushed for 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.