Long before the legendary Indian actor-politician called the ‘Dream Girl’ of Hindi cinema, Hema Malini, rose to superstardom, she was simply ‘Hemu’ to Bengaluru-based singer Kavita Krishnamurti. Their families were neighbours in Delhi and childhood afternoons were spent together. Years later, music would become another thread connecting their lives. So, when Krishnamurti recently performed at Hema Malini’s diamond jubilee celebration honouring six decades in cinema, the evening was as much a personal reunion as it was a tribute to a legendary career.
Held in Mumbai, the evening was also a tribute to her husband, veteran actor Dharmendra. With film stalwarts, including Jeetendra, Shatrughan Sinha, Rakesh Roshan and Ramesh Sippy in attendance, the event drew a packed public audience alongside family members and colleagues who had been part of Malini’s journey. “I have known her as Hemu from my childhood, like an older sister. She was close to my elder sister and we would often spend time at each other’s homes,” recalls Krishnamurti, adding, “Hemu and my sister would go to Bharatanatyam classes together and later, I would tag along, though music was what I wanted to pursue.”
She remembers watching Hema Malini leave Delhi for Chennai after her family decided the city would offer better opportunities for her dance training and artistic career. Years later, the families reunited when Malini’s mother, the late Jaya Chakravarthy, invited Krishnamurti to Mumbai to watch the young actor’s film shoots. “Hema’s mother was an incredibly generous person. She introduced me to Laxmikant-Pyarelal and that’s how I began dubbing songs for Lata Mangeshkar. My first dubbing song was for Chacha Bhatija, and it was picturised on Hema. I even visited the shoot,” she says.
Their professional association continued over the years. Krishnamurti sang for Malini’s production Dil Aashna Hai and became a regular voice in the actor’s dance ballets, many of which were composed by Ravindra Jain. “I sang for her Meera ballet and several productions after that. Almost every ballet would have one or two songs by me,” she recalls.
The diamond jubilee celebration was a reflection of those shared memories, with actors taking to the stage to speak about Hema Malini and Dharmendra, interspersed with singers performing songs from her celebrated films. For Krishnamurti, a highlight was performing Naam Gum Jaayega with Suresh Wadkar when Jeetendra came on stage, a song from Malini’s film Kinara. The evening concluded with one of her most cherished performances. She shares, “I sang Ae Dil-e-Nadaan from Razia Sultan, a song Hema ji loves very much. I invited her to join me for a few lines and she did. That became one of the most special moments of the evening.” The song remains inseparable from Malini’s portrayal of Razia Sultan, says Krishnamurti, remembering, “It was the divinity of Lata ji’s voice and the divinity of Hema’s face. While singing with her standing beside me, I felt the presence of Razia Sultan herself.”
The event also honoured Dharmendra, the ‘He-man’ of Bollywood, with Hema Malini lighting a ceremonial lamp before speaking about her husband’s support throughout her life and career.
Remembering the evening filled with iconic songs and old memories, Krishnamurti reflects on why music from Hindi cinema’s golden era continues to connect: the collaborative process behind every song. “Music directors worked closely with lyricists and filmmakers. Every song had a purpose in the story. The lyrics were poetry, the melodies were timeless and audiences associated those songs with the actors on screen,” she says, adding, “Earlier, everyone created the song together in the studio. If there was a mistake, the entire orchestra recorded again. Today, the process is much more departmentalised.”
Even so, she believes evenings like Hema Malini’s diamond jubilee remind her of the people behind the tunes, as she concludes, “It’s like a huge family that stays in your heart.”
