Hema Malini was born in a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin family at Ammankudi near Tiruchirapalli. Her mother Jaya Chakravarthy was a producer and her father’s name is Ramanujam Chakravarthy. Hema has got two brothers and she was the youngest. In studies, Hema was not interested in many subjects but history was her favourite.

She did her education at Andhra Mahila Sabha in Chennai. Her first stint with cinema was in the year 1965 when she did a small dance bit in the film Pandava Vanavasam. Her acting debut was in the year 1968 with the film Sapnon Ke Saudagar alongside Raj Kapoor. She was called the Dream Girl from that film onwards.

Her shot to fame was with the film Johnny Mera Naam in 1970 and she also did offbeat roles in films like Andaaz and Lal Patthar. The biggest film of her career is Sholay which came in 1975 and Hema was part of many blockbuster ventures around that time. She also dabbled with direction for a while before shifting her focus into dance and classical ballets.

She took a break for a long time before making a comeback in 2000 and has been seen in few significant roles in big projects. Hema has also ventured into politics and she is the member of BJP and also became an MP during their regime. Hema Malini is also a trained classical dancer and she has imparted the same to both her daughters Esha and Ahana.

She has also been seen in television serials and became the first woman to be appointed as chairperson for the National Film Development Corporation.