Hema Malini: When young, I was extremely quiet; many of my heroes thought I was arrogant, but I was just shy - Exclusive

Few characters in Indian cinema have captured the audience’s imagination the way Basanti did in 'Sholay'. Even today, decades later, Hema Malini’s spirited, talkative, and fearless tonga-driving character remains one of the most iconic roles ever written. In this candid conversation with ETimes, the Dream Girl of Bollywood reflects on playing Basanti, her collaboration with Ramesh Sippy, and the contrasting shades of her other memorable characters.(laughs) I think she is the most talkative character ever written in our cinema. Kitna bolti hai! She is unstoppable!Yes, I am actually very reserved—much less now than I used to be. When I was younger, I was extremely quiet. I would hardly speak on the sets. Many of my heroes thought I was arrogant, but the truth is, I was just shy. Why speak unnecessarily? So, I preferred silence.(laughs) With Dharamji, it was different. We had plenty to say to each other, especially since we hardly met outside of shooting.My main concern was that Basanti shouldn’t become annoying. I worried her bak-bak might put off the audience. But instead, audiences loved her. I think they appreciated that she always spoke her mind and admired her spunk, especially the way she stood up to Gabbar Singh.Yes, it was difficult. The more dangerous portions were performed by my body double.Yes, after 'Andaz' and 'Seeta Aur Geeta'. Much later, I did another film with him—'Shimla Mirch'—where I played a woman who falls in love with a much younger man. I don’t think the audience was ready to accept me in that role.Children love it. Even grown-ups enjoy it. I had so much fun shooting for it, and yes, I agree—it is my most popular film. In fact, I recently watched it again and truly enjoyed it. I want my grandchildren to see it as well.Yes, quite the opposite of my character in 'Andaz,' where I played a widow—very similar to Jayaji’s character in Sholay.I wouldn’t know about that. I never paid attention to what others were doing or not doing.I never thought of it that way! But yes—Raj Kapoorji in my debut film 'Sapnon Ka Saudagar', Shammi Kapoor in 'Andaz', and Shashi Kapoor in several films. I even worked with Raj Saab’s son Rishi Kapoor in 'Ek Chadar Maili Si'.