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Hema Malini has been one of the most iconic and sought-after Bollywood stars. Over the years, she starred in some of the biggest blockbuster films in the industry and has worked with some of the best-known names as well. Having led a successful career over the past couple of decades, the actress recently sat down to look back on her time in cinema, while also remembering her partner, Dharmendra , and how it felt to receive the Padma Bhushan award on his behalf from the President of India.

Hema Malini talks about accepting the Padma Bhushan for DharmendraWhile talking to HT City, the actress got emotional and recalled how it felt to walk up to the stage and get the Padma Bhushan in her husband’s name. She shared that the entire experience was quite emotional for her; however, she was still extremely grateful about everything.

She shared, “It was an emotional, yet exciting moment for me. His seven decades of work were recognised. That I was able to go on stage and receive it was the biggest moment. As I was going towards Rashtrapati ji to receive it, I could feel him behind me, making me walk up, saying ‘go ahead to collect it.’” She also recalled her time with her husband, and shared that the ‘ Chupke Chupke ’ actor always wished for all of his family members to be together happily, no matter what.

“He would say ‘I am fond of my family’, hamesha united rehne ko bolte the”, she shared, further adding that, “He was fond of all his children, his grandchildren in that house, my house. He enjoyed his life and lived it to the fullest. He achieved those things which normal human beings don’t get, and became what he wanted to right from the beginning. A young boy from a small village in Punjab came to Mumbai and achieved so much. Today, the whole country loves him, so many in the world do, and that person loved me. You can understand how proud I feel.”

Hema Malini looks back on her career in cinemaHema Malini’s career started all the way back in the 1960s with her appearances in regional cinema. However, slowly but surely she started landing more mainstream films and slowly became one of the household names in Bollywood. With a career spanning across six decades, the actress has done a lot of work. While talking during the interview, the actress opened up about her past as an actress and how everything has been for her.

She shared, “The 1970s and 80s were the best period of my life; I did the maximum films then, with directors utilising me so beautifully. Those memories will always remain with me. But life goes on, you get settled, family comes along.” Recounting her days as an artist, the actress also revealed that after doing ‘Baghban’ in 2003, she gradually transitioned into politics.

Hema Malini is all set to celebrate her diamond jubilee on July 10 with a concert dedicated to her late husband, Dharmendra. She shared that originally, a book about her was set to be published to celebrate the occasion, and that Dharmendra was one of the very few people who knew about it.