Hema Malini quashes rift rumours with Dharmendra’s first wife Prakash Kaur, Sunny Deol: ‘Ghar ka personal mamla hai’

Hema Malini addressing the crowd at Dharmendra's prayer meet. (Express photo: Anil Sharma)

Eyebrows were raised when the families of Dharmendra’s first wife, Prakash Kaur, and his second wife, Hema Malini, organised different prayer meets after he breathed his last on November 24. This led to speculation about a possible rift between Dharmendra’s two families. Recently, Hema Malini shut down the rumour-mongering as she declared it a “ghar ka personal mamla” (It’s a personal matter between the family).

Dharmendra’s first wife Prakash Kaur and their children — Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Ajeita Deol and Vijeta Deol — organised a prayer meet in Mumbai that wasn’t attended by Hema and her daughters. His second wife, veteran actor and politician Hema Malini, along with their daughters — Esha Deol and Ahana Deol — organised three separate prayer meetings: one in Mumbai, one in Delhi, and another in Hema’s constituency, Mathura.

When asked about the suspected differences between the two families after they organised different prayer meetings, Hema told E Times, “Yeh humare ghar ka personal mamla hai. We talked to each other.”

Hema shared that the reason behind organising separate prayer meetings was because she has a different set of friends and well-wishers than Prakash Kaur’s family. She said she kept one prayer meet at her home because her ‘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.” She admitted that she is “happy” with her decision.

For the unversed, while Esha Deol and Hema Malini were present at Dharmendra’s last rites in Mumbai, her other daughter Ahana Deol was absent. Later, Dharmendra’s sons Sunny and Bobby Deol went to Haridwar with their families to immerse his ashes in the Ganga, a ritual that Hema’s family did not attend.

Hema was also quizzed about rumours surrounding Dharmendra’s Lonavala farmhouse being turned into a museum. She confirmed that Sunny Deol “is planning to do something on those lines”. She also emphasised that there is no rift between the two families. She said ‘everything is happening in a nice way’. She also said no one needs to be concerned that these are two separate families, and what will happen in the future. “Hum log ekdum achche hai. (Nobody needs to worry this much. We are good)”

Hema also spoke about Sunny clashing with paparazzi when Dharmendra was admitted to the hospital. She admitted that Sunny was “emotional and angry” as the family was going through an extremely difficult time. “Media was running behind our cars… harassment bahut hua,” she said.