Hema Malini Celebrates 60 Years In Indian Cinema At Mumbai's Shanmukhanada Hall
A Diamond Jubilee celebration marking actress Hema Malini's 60 years in Indian cinema was held at the historic Shanmukhanada Hall in Mumbai. The event, which brought together prominent personalities from the Hindi film industry, celebrated her enduring legacy at the very venue where her acting journey in the city originally began.
Hosted and directed by Anirudh Chawla, the evening featured Union Cabinet Minister Kiren Rijiju as the chief guest and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Ashish Shelar as the guest of honour. The celebration traced Hema Malini's journey from a young debutante to an enduring icon through live musical performances, audio-visual presentations, and candid conversations.
Reflecting on the significance of Shanmukhanada Hall, Hema Malini shared that she stayed at the venue when she first arrived in Mumbai to shoot Sapno Ka Saudagar, traveling daily to Raj Kapoor's studio in Chembur for the shoot. She also received her first Filmfare Award on the same stage.
During the event, Hema Malini shared behind-the-scenes stories, including how her husband Dharmendra ended up choreographing his own famous dance steps for the song "Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana" in Pratigya. Director Ramesh Sippy also recalled directing her from his first film Andaz in 1971 to Shimla Mirchi in 2020, sharing how he convinced her to play the iconic role of Basanti in Sholay.
Several industry contemporaries paid tribute to the actress. Actor Rakesh Roshan shared how Hema Malini agreed to work with him at a time when other leading ladies had declined, while Jeetendra and actress Madhoo shared personal memories.
The musical tribute featured performances by singers Kavita Krishnamurti, Suresh Wadkar, Padmini Kolhapure, Anu Malik, Anup Jalota, and Sudesh Bhosle. Hema Malini herself took the microphone to sing lines from "Kya Khoob Lagti Ho" and "Tum Haseen Main Jawaan," concluding the evening with a duet of "Aye Dil-e-Nadan" alongside Krishnamurti.
