Sholay: Ramesh Sippy reveals Dharmendra confessed love to Hema Malini during film's shooting
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Sholay: Ramesh Sippy reveals Dharmendra confessed love to Hema Malini during film's shooting")
Hema Malini, Dharmendra Photograph: (X)
Sholay: The Final Cut was released this week, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film's release. During a recent interview, filmmaker Ramesh Sippy revealed that Dharmendra confessed his love for Hema Malini on the sets of Sholey.
Released in 1975, Sholay is an iconic Indian film that has fans in every generation. And as it returns to cinemas to mark 50 years of its release, filmmaker Ramesh Sippy has recalled a behind-the-scenes moment from the project that has made every fan emotional. He revealed that Dharmendra confessed his love to Hema Malini during its shooting.
Revisiting the legacy
Sholay: The Final Cut re-released in 4K this week, and it has a special place in fans' hearts because the film also serves as a tribute to Dharmendra, who died at the age of 89 on November 24, 2025. He is survived by his wife Hema Malini, daughters Esha and Ahana Deol, and his four children, Sunny, Bobby, Vijeta, and Ajeeta Deol from his first marriage to Prakash Kaur.
Sippy recalled a special BTS moment
During an interview with Siddharth Kannan, the filmmaker revealed that the late actor had real feelings for Hema Malini while working on Sholey, in which the actress played his love interest as Basanti.
"He was in the mood. He drank a few pegs. I know that because I could see it in the way he climbed up and down the water tank. It used to scare me too. When I followed him up the water tank, he assured me nothing would happen and that it’s all acting. So, I gave him a free hand," he recalled. "It was his confession of love in front of everyone. He was ready to sacrifice his love, so even Mausiji relented. Since this was his confession of real love, he put all his might into it."
Real emotions in the film
Sippy acknowledged that Dharmendra’s performance by driven by genuine emotion. "What’s happening in the film, that’s also the reality now. So, it felt nice. I also felt it’s good for the film because the real romance reflects on screen as well, he said.
Other collaborations together
Sippy has also worked with Dharmendra and Hema Malini in Seeta Aur Geeta (1973). In another interview, he revealed that he convinced the actor to play Veeru instead of Gabbar or Thakur by telling him, “You won’t get Hema Malini otherwise!”
Dharmendra's final film
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His final appearance on the big screen will be Ikkis, directed by Sriram Raghavan. Starring Agastya Nanda, it is a biographical war film based on the life of Param Vir Chakra awardee Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal. Ikkis is set to release on December 25, 2025.
