Hema Malini says Dharmendras last wish was to see family united: Sunny, Bobby are sweet
(Photo: Hema Malini/X, Varinder Chawla)Veteran actor Dharmendra passed away in November 2025 at the age of 89 and upon his passing, a wave of grief swallowed his family, friends and the countless fans he had all over the world. In a new interview, his wife, actor-politician Hema Malini opened up about the last message of the late actor wherein he told her to keep the family united. In the chat, Hema also spoke about Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, Dharmendra’s sons from his first marriage with Prakash Kaur, and said that they are all united, contrary to what others might believe. ‘Dharmendra said be with the kids’ Talking to Hindi Rush, Hema shared, “Dharam ji would always say, be with the kids as much as possible. Spend time with the children, with the family. He always said, be united with the family, that is very important in today’s times, which doesn’t really happen now. These days, kids go their separate ways.”ALSO READ | Diljit Dosanjh Satluj row: Why CBFC held up film, shock OTT release, government’s response Hema and Dharmendra got married in 1980 and had two daughters – Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. At the time, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had four children with her – sons Sunny and Bobby, and daughters Ajeeta and Vijayta. Dharmendra continued to live with Prakash until the end, while Hema lived in a home right across the street. Dharmendra’s last message for the family When Hema was asked about the “last message” from Dharmendra, she said, “This is exactly what he said, ‘Be with the family. Be together with all of them. Work can keep happening but family should be given utmost importance’.” Hema was also asked about Sunny and Bobby and she described them as “wonderful boys.” “They are very sweet. Sunny is very nice. Bobby is very good. We are all always together. We don’t do any publicity but internally we are all good. We are all united. We are a very happy family,” she said. ‘Very loving father, grandfather’ In the same chat, Hema was asked to talk about certain aspects of Dharmendra’s life that his fans might not know about. “What do I say about such a great human being? Words fall short,” she said and added, “He was always rooted.”Story continues below this ad “If he was in the house and heard some commotion outside, he would always want to know what’s happening. If someone came to take a picture with him, he would say, ‘Call them inside’, no matter who it was. He would meet everyone, feed them all. He was very fond of people. He was so good with poetry and he liked sharing that with his fans,’ she said. “I worked with him for so many years. He was always a generous and loving person,” she said and added, “He taught everyone that no matter the difficulty in your life, you have to face it and solve it.” She described him as a “very loving father” and a “very loving naanu (grandfather).” “I can’t tell how much the kids are missing him,” she said. About Dharmendra’s death In the days after Dharmendra’s death, a memorial was held in Mumbai by the Deol family but Hema and her daughters did not attend it. On the same day, Hema arranged a prayer meet at her home. A few days after that, a prayer meet was held in the memory of the veteran star in Delhi, which was attended by political dignitaries. In April 2026, Bobby received the Lifetime Achievement Award at SCREEN Awards on behalf of his late father. Bobby was in tears as he collected the honour and said, “I see my father’s love in all your eyes. My father touched everyone’s hearts through his work and even through his Instagram reels, which had become his new hobby.” He added, “He always wanted people to stay happy and believed that God has given all of us so much in life. He used to say that we all have a special gift within us, and if we believe in it, we can achieve anything.”
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