During the 1970s and early 1980s, Hema Malini was among Bollywood’s biggest stars and was often regarded as one of the industry’s highest-paid actresses. However, in a recent podcast with Hindi Rush, the veteran actor and politician dismissed the claim, saying she never earned the kind of fees today’s stars command and was never driven by money.
Hema Malini denies being Bollywood’s highest-paid actress
Hema Malini denied being the highest-paid female actor in Bollywood and 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).”
She 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. 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 made her acting debut in 1968 with Sapno Ka Saudagar and rose to superstardom during the 1970s and 1980s with blockbuster films such as Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, Dream Girl, Satte Pe Satta and Baghban. Popularly known as Bollywood’s “Dream Girl”, she won audiences over with her performances and screen presence.
In 1992, she directed and produced Dil Aashna Hai, starring Divya Bharti and Shah Rukh Khan in the lead roles. She followed it up by directing and producing Mohini in 1995, featuring her niece Madhoo and Sudesh Berry. She later shifted her focus to classical dance and television, while making occasional appearances in films.
Apart from acting, Hema is an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer, filmmaker and politician, and currently serves as a Member of Parliament. She was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2000, India’s fourth-highest civilian award. In 2012, Sir Padampat Singhania University conferred an honorary doctorate on her in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema.