“I Was Literally Pushed Into Politics“- Hema Malini Talks About Politics & PM Modi
Dream Girl Hema Malini is celebrating her 75th birthday today. On this special occasion, let's delve into an exclusive interview where Hema Malini offers unfiltered insights into her views on politics, Prime Minister Modi, and a wide array of topics.
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00:00 Is that how it is in politics as well? People know, "Hey maaji, hey, you behave yourself."
00:08 Full respect they give me.
00:09 Sabko pata hai na?
00:10 Yeah, yeah, very nice. I was not knowing. It's like a challenge again for me to go
00:16 in getting into politics. I was not knowing anything about politics and suddenly I'm
00:20 jumping into that. Jumping means you're pushed into that. I said, "Okay, accept
00:25 it again." And then started.
00:29 For somebody who was so shy to begin with, you always said you were shy at the beginning.
00:35 You have flowered into a person who can give a speech. You can address a rally. I mean,
00:41 isn't that a fantastic transformation?
00:44 By transformation is good. Naturally it happens. You are put into it, then you have to do it.
00:49 You have to swim and come out of it. That is the situation. Then you start learning
00:55 everything. Now as a politician, every now and then you have to speak. You have to give
01:01 a bhaashan dena hai. Then it's more than... film acting is different. You know, you are
01:09 given, dialogues are given and then you are projecting that particular character. Here
01:13 you are Hemamalini and you have to speak about a few things. So it's a little difficult,
01:20 but challenging it is.
01:22 So you said you were put into it, so you had to do it. So how were you put into politics?
01:29 That is because Vinod Khanna ji unki vajase. He was contesting from Gurdaspur. So he wanted
01:37 me to...
01:38 Campaigns for you.
01:39 Yeah. Aap mere liye campaign kar rahe. I said, "No, no, no, I don't know." Then again, my
01:45 mother, "Come on, you have to do it." I said, "Why? What? Every time you want me to do it.
01:50 How do I know about politics? I'm not interested at all. Mujhe nahi jaana hai. Kaha udhar, somewhere
01:55 in Punjab I have to go." She said, "Nahi." And then she was a big fan of Atal Bihari Vajpayee
02:02 ji. So unka party hai, Bharati Janta Party. You must go for that. You know, she had a
02:09 beautiful, lovely liking for the whole party and all those leaders. Then what am I going
02:15 to speak? So she wrote beautiful speech for me in Hindi. Hindi mein bahut nipunthi mamai.
02:23 So those speeches I gave and then Vinod Khanna, of course, he helped me. And then uske baad
02:31 toh sab log peeche pad gaya, "Udhar aao, udhar aao." Then they gave me Rajya Sabha also.
02:36 I was nominated for six years. My God, what experience meeting all those big, big, shock
02:45 shots. Aapko kabhi laga nahi ki main kya kar rahi hoon yahaan. Mujhe lagta tha ki main
02:50 kya kar rahi hoon. Lekin karna hai toh, you are there to better learn. Then many people
02:56 used to come and help me also. Aajiye aap iske vishay mein baad ki jiye. Then I started
03:01 liking it so much because so many things about our world economy, humare Hindustan
03:08 ke baare mein, kya kya problems hai, whatever is happening, you know. You start because
03:12 otherwise you are in the film. You are only concentrating in your acting, that role ye
03:18 karna hai, yahaan pe shooting mein jana hai, that's all. You are not actually looking
03:22 into the other side of life. So that I started understanding how people are suffering, how
03:29 people are looting, you know, all kind of various things are happening. Then I took
03:35 interest. Then I said, now next I will contest from Mathura if I am given.
03:41 Aachha that was your choice. Yeah, that was my choice.
03:44 Because I felt it's such a coincidence because I know that when you were very young, you
03:49 were in love with Krishna, Lord Krishna. And Mathura is your constituency.
03:54 Love with Krishna. And you did a film called Meera and you did
04:00 a dance band called Meera. I am coming from a Vaishnava family, Iyengar
04:06 family. So my father does puja for Lord Vishnu always. Bhagwan ke pratna, puja, ye usi mein
04:14 jata hai. My childhood I have watched him doing all this. So naturally you will also
04:19 be following that footstep. So then when I started learning dance, in dance is also,
04:26 is a divine, the divine art, our classical Bharatanatyam. So usme bhi kitne shlok vagara
04:32 hai, which my father used to recite in the puja room. All those and I am dancing. So
04:38 he was also wondering, are iske upar dance kiya tumne? I said, yeah. So that is how the
04:43 connection happens. And then you culminates in your going to Mathura
04:48 and becoming. Mathura because then lot of devotees used
04:52 to call me to perform my dance ballet and all. Then ISKCON mein se they took me to Mathura
04:59 and then showed me everything. I loved it so much. So nice. It is exciting. I was very
05:03 excited. So you felt a connection with. Connection. Yeah. Nice. I used to feel. Then when the
05:09 Rajya Sabha, my term got over, then the next they said, you fight election. From my party
05:17 they were saying, I don't want to do all that. But at that time, Dharamji had become an MP
05:24 from Bikaner and he was finding it very difficult to do, you know, because it was very far away
05:31 place. So I wanted to experience how is it to be an MP from Lok Sabha because Lok Sabha
05:39 means you have to be with the public all the time. My whole life I was with the public
05:44 performing and like while you are acting and your film is released, watched by public.
05:50 But at the same time you are working in a film means a hundred people are there. You
05:56 know, so that the connection is with the people, not with too many. But this is from villages.
06:03 Mathura is a place where it is so many villages on there all are. Braj, Braj hai. Braj Mandal.
06:11 So going there and talking to them, understanding their problems. It was very exciting for me.
06:18 So I wanted to fight the election. When they offered me, I said, if you are giving my seat
06:24 from Mathura, I would love to do it. So that's how they gave me. So that's how Mathura.
06:29 So will you be contesting a third time in 2024? If my party wants me to do. You will?
06:35 Okay. Then you're ready for it. But supposed to be the age is the limitation. 75. Yeah.
06:42 I can't even believe that I'm going to become so much. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. I just
06:49 said when I was in my 50s, I did Baghban. So 20 years ke upar ho gaya ho karke. So that's
06:58 what I was talking to my brother the other day. I said, I feel very funny because they
07:04 say I'm so much. I don't believe that I am so much, you know, I don't, I don't think
07:09 I'm that because my behavior, my mindset is all around 30 to 40 year old. That is how
07:16 it is. I'm not behaving like one. Like a 70 year old. 75 year old or something. I don't
07:21 want to also. But you have to accept every year passes one year, you have to become older.
07:29 That's right. Yeah. What is your opinion about the BJP and Mr. Modi? Are you happy with the
07:37 choice you have made? Of course, my best choice in my life, I will say, yes, of course, who
07:43 else will get the chance or opportunity to work under such a big leader, you know, under
07:49 his leadership, I'm able to do my being an MP two times. That's right. Maybe third time
07:58 also. We don't know. Yeah, I'm sure they'll make an exception. Let's say. So again, what
08:06 is it about Mr. Modi that you like as a leader? What he says, what he talks, he does it and
08:14 he's very bold and his decisions are wonderful, which are unimaginable things he comes out
08:20 with and then he makes it possible. Like when I first joined in Mathura, I felt it was very
08:28 dirty. So that's the time he introduced that Swachh Bharat. Wonderful idea. And then he
08:36 said, "We need a toilet." Everybody used to feel, "He talks about the toilet, he's
08:40 the Prime Minister." But what an idea, what is how important it is, how everybody realizes.
08:46 Especially during COVID. Plus so many things he has come out with. He has given so much
08:56 respect to our country by going several times to other countries and all, in America. He
09:04 has brought a big name for our country. So politics was something that you were put into,
09:10 but you're very happy you were put into it. Yeah, now I'm happy. Now you're happy and
09:13 you feel comfortable there. Yes. You feel comfortable with all the politicians? Comfortable
09:18 with, yeah, yeah, I'm comfortable. And with the, with the party also? Yes, with the party
09:23 and then Modi ji and then time. What's he like as a person? Very simple person, very,
09:29 very simple. Absolutely you won't feel that you're talking to Prime Minister, but he's
09:36 the Prime Minister. Do you remember your first meeting with him? Yes, I do remember because
09:42 I did campaign for him in Gujarat also when he was a Chief Minister. When he was first
09:47 time he became second time also. I used to go for campaign. Okay. Yeah. See, he has a
09:52 very nice feeling for me. And any, any problems also in Mathura, I explain to him, especially
10:00 cleaning of Yamuna, this, that, everything I'll discuss. So he will try to solve it,
10:04 everything. He immediately tells the other department and say, "Yes sir, I can't do
10:09 it."
10:09 Thank you.
10:16 you