Hema Malini, a top Indian actress of yesterday, director, producer, politician, and author, was born on October 16, 1948, in Ammankudi, Tamil Nadu. As a child, she was trained in the Bharatnatyam classical style of dance. Hema has appeared in over 170 films during the last 5 decades, many immensely popular. Hemi is often referred to as “Dreamgirl”. In her first two movies, ‘Idhu Sathiyam’ (1961) and ‘Pandava Vanavasam’ (1965), Hemi was a dancer. Her break came when she did a screen test for Raj Kapoor for ‘Sapno Ka Saudagar’ (1968) and became his co-star in the movie. Another important point in her career was Ramesh Sippy’s film ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’ (1972 and ‘Sholay’ (1975). Other well-known films are: ‘Johny Mera Naam’ (1970), ‘Raja Jani’ (1972), ‘Dulhan’ (1974), ‘Khushboo (1975), ‘Dream Girl’ (1977), ‘Meera’ (1979), ‘Naseeb’ (1981), ‘Razia Sultan’ (1983), and ‘Aandhi-Toofan’ (1985). Hemi was often paired with Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand, and Dharmendra. She married iconic actor Dharmendra in 1980, and they have two daughters. In 2000, Hemi won a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award and a Padma Shri from the government of India.  In 2014, she won a seat in the Lok Sabha (representatives of the people chosen by direct election), as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. Hema will occasionally do films, the latest being ‘Shimla Mirchi’ (2020), a romantic comedy starring Rajkummar Rao and Rakul Preet Singh. Hemi, a vegetarian, is a supporter of PETA India.