Veteran actor, Dharmendra has always been on the top list among the gossipmongers. There's no denying the fact that the He-Man of Bollywood has always been a ladies’ man, courtesy of his dapper looks. Dharmendra was previously married to Prakash Kaur and tied the knot for the second time with actress, Hema Malini. Among his many flings was his most hushed-up romance with the legendary actress, Meena Kumari. Though Dharmendra and Meena never spoke about their alleged affair, their near and dear ones thought that the duo's dating rumours were imaginary.
When Dharmendra entered the Hindi film industry, he received invaluable support from Meena Kumari. Apart from uplifting his confidence, Meena also agreed to co-star opposite Dharmendra in many films in the 1960s. While their film, Phool Aur Patthar was a hit, the rest of their projects were eminently forgettable, including Chandan Ka Palna, Poornima, Baharon Ki Manzil, and Kaajal. While the liaison turned Dharmendra's fortune and made him a star, it ruined Meena Kumari’s marriage with her husband, Kamal Amrohi.
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There was a time when Dharmendra and Meena Kumari’s love affair used to hit every news headline, and soon everybody knew what was brewing. Meena Kumari’s husband, Kamal Amrohi, was also not immune to the then-ongoing reports. And if reports are to be believed, years later, Amrohi took his revenge on Dharmendra when he cast him and his wife, Hema Malini, in the film, Razia Sultan. While Hema was given the title role of 'Empress Razia Sultan', her husband, Dharmendra was cast as her slave, 'Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut'.
To play the role of the slave, Dharmendra was asked to apply black paint on his body, from head to toe, as the perfectionist filmmaker, Amrohi wanted to bring alive the slave’s character. In the later segments of the film's shoot, Dharmendra had to face the blistering sun of the deserts and shoot bare-backed while the black paint was running down his face and torso. While people considered it perfectionism, sources were convinced that this was how Kamal Amrohi had his revenge for what Dharmendra had done to his marriage with Meena Kumari.
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Not just this, earlier rumours were also rife that Dharmendra was replaced by Raaj Kumar in the film, Pakeezah, for his affair with Meena Kumari. As per reports, in Kamal Amrohi’s directorial, Pakeezah, which starred Meena Kumari, Dharmendra was replaced because of his growing fondness for the actress. In an interview with The Tribune, when Dharmendra was asked if Kamal did not cast him in Pakeezah because Meena Kumari was in it, the actor addressed his love affair rumours with Meena Kumari and said:
“People are jealous of me, man. I was not in love with Meena Kumari. She was a huge star and I was her fan. If you call the relationship between a fan and a star as love, then consider it as love.”
What are your views about Dharmendra and Meena Kumari's alleged affair?
Next Read: Dharmendra Booked A 100-Room Hospital For Hema Malini's Delivery To Keep Her First Pregnancy Hidden
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