'Good that Hema Malini did not attend Dharmendra's prayer meet organised by Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and family and organised a separate one,' says Gaiety-Galaxy owner Manoj Desai: 'It would have been messed up'

Veteran actor Dharmendra’s demise plunged the country into deep grief. The legendary star passed away at the age of 89, just days before his birthday. Following his death, the family performed his last rites in a private ceremony and later organised prayer meetings in his memory. While his first wife and sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, hosted a prayer meet at Taj Lands End, his second wife, Hema Malini, chose to hold a separate one at her Mumbai residence.

Now, theatre owner of the iconic Gaeity Galaxy, Manoj Desai has spoken about the two prayer meets and explained why he felt Hema Malini made a sensible decision. In a conversation with Vickey Lalwani, Manoj said, “I was not surprised that Hemaji didn’t turn up. Before any controversy or any such talk would have happened, she organised a separate prayer meet for him. It was good that she didn’t come. Hema and Dharmendra ji were very close, but if somebody would have said something to her, the whole prayer meet would have been messed up. So, it was good that she organised a prayer meet separately."




Talking about Dharmendra’s on-screen bonds, he added, “I think he had maximum chemistry with Hemaji. However, he had chemistry with all his heroines, including Mumtaz and Meena Kumari."

Recalling the overwhelming turnout at the prayer meet, Manoj shared, “There was a huge line of cars. My car was standing at the 86th spot. Before me and behind me, there were big cars. They performed bhajans at the prayer meet, and the whole world was there. Everybody turned up at the prayer meet. I met Sunny Deol and I told him that many people are coming, so I will leave from the front gate, and he told me ‘thanks for coming’. I stood for 45 minutes outside, waiting for my car because there was such a huge queue outside."

He further said, “I have gone to so many prayer meets of so many artistes, including Rajesh Khanna’s, in which I was sitting next to Amitabh Bachchan. I had also gone to the prayer meet of Yash Chopra, but I had never seen a prayer meet like that of Dharamji’s. It felt like the whole nation was there. There was no one who didn’t want to come."

Meanwhile now, Shobhaa De has said that Hema Malini was sidelined by Dharmendra's family after his demise. "Must have been a particularly difficult and hard decision… To be totally left out by the first family from something that she had spent 45 years of her own life… Nourishing, cherishing, which had enriched her life. She had two daughters from this marriage. It must have hurt terribly, but she kept all that for her own privacy. However she wished to deal with it and when she did have a public function, I thought she conducted it with utmost dignity, not just for herself but for the person she had lost," she said during a chat with Barkha Dutt.

Must have been a particularly difficult and hard decision… To be totally left out by the first family from something that she had spent 45 years of her own life… Nourishing, cherishing, which had enriched her life. She had two daughters from this marriage. It must have hurt terribly, but she kept all that for her own privacy. However she wished to deal with it and when she did have a public function, I thought she conducted it with utmost dignity, not just for herself but for the person she had lost..”

Dharmendra passed away on November 24. He had been admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in South Mumbai due to health issues. Although he was discharged and showed signs of recovery, reports stated that he later faced breathing problems and was placed on a ventilator. His last rites were held on the same day and were attended by several prominent film personalities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

During the finale of 'Bigg Boss 19', Salman Khan had also spoken about Dharmendra's prayer meet. He had said, "There were two funerals which got the most respect. One was of Sooraj Barjatya's mother and another of Dharam ji. Their prayer meeting was conducted with so much of dignity, honour. Ro toh sab hi rahe the but ek joh respect honi chahiye. Ek celebration of life honi chahiye. Hats of to Sunny, Bobby and whole family. Every ceremony, funeral should be conducted in this dignified manner."Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”