THE DAY HEMA MALINI CURSED HER STARDOM

Fame and popularity are the biggest attraction about the movie business (Yes, yes I know about the fat paychecks too). But nothing draws more people to the business than the dream of seeing their face on a twenty foot screen, romancing another pretty face in a setting that resembles heaven. The knowledge that you are the heartthrob of millions – people who worship the ground you walk upon, write letters in blood and proclaim their undying love to pictures in magazines. And if you happen to be a star from the South, a temple or two dedicated to your name is pretty much par for the course.  

So what could the reason be for one of Hindi cinema’s most loved heroines, Hema Malini to literally curse her stardom? After all, she had worked hard to reach the No 1 spot among heroines and had such a huge fan following across the country, that her status was undisputed.

The reason for this was one fan whose obsession with Hema Malini turned so intense and dangerous that it was to have tragic consequences.

Ironically the theme of the obsessive stalker has been done to death in Hollywood and on American television, but in the seventies it was never assumed that a fan could cross all boundaries of social decency – and intrude on another’s person’s right to privacy. Therefore those were not the days of heavy, foolproof security that one sees today. Even the thought of having a beat constable posted outside the door with a heavy stick in hand seemed ludicrous.

So when one such obsessive male stalker landed outside Hema Malini’s bungalow, there was no one than a solitary watchman at the gate. The man harboured a deep love for her – a love that had begun from her first big success in “Johnny Mera Naam.”  It had grown with every film of hers that released at the box office, through hits like “Mehbooba” and “Jugnu.”  Finally, with her memorable double role in ”Seeta aur Geeta,” his love finally prompted him to undertake the journey from his village to Hema Malini’s home.

Now, as he stood on the pavement opposite her bungalow, he pondered over his next course of action. If he went up to the guard and asked to be allowed to meet Hema Malini, he knew he would be scorned at…possibly even be tossed out like a fake dime onto the street. He paced up and down, peering at the many windows in the bungalow, hoping to catch a glimpse of his one-sided love.  Probably if he would have seen her, he would have been content and left for the day. And maybe later better sense would have prevailed on him.

But even as the early morning sun increased its glare to the harsh afternoon rays beating down on him, there was no sign of Hema. He had no idea whatsoever if she was even there inside the house. As the sun set, leaving him only twilight for company, he now began to think about the futility of his vigil. And just as the thought that he should go back home was about to cross his mind, two short blasts of a car horn interrupted it. He looked back at the gate and saw a swanky car, obviously a foreign make…and through its lightly tinted windows, he caught that glimpse of her. There she was…Hema Malini, probably returning from her shoot and destined to meet her biggest fan.

All plans to leave were now scratched, new ones were unfolding in his mind. How should he introduce himself when he met her? How could he reach her room in the first place? He resolved that he must go up to the security guard at brazen his way through with a believable story…maybe he was an assistant to a producer…or perhaps pretend he was some sort of a handyman who had come to repair the television or the refrigerator.

Once again, he paced up and down the pavement, undecided about his course of action as it was now the turn of the moon to peer down at this unseen stalker.

The hours ticked away to somewhere around two hours past midnight when he made up his mind – he would scale the boundary wall of the bungalow, hop onto and adjoining tree and make his way along one of its branches onto a ledge of the first floor. Once there he had plotted his onward climb to reach one of the open windows. It all went to plan, when he did reach that window and with the minimal effort was able to force it open.

He entered the room to find it empty – where was Hema? He wondered to himself. There was no option but to look into each room and find out.

He had barely stepped out of the room into the wide corridor when he felt he was being watched by someone. He swerved quickly to see a young woman who seemed to be one of the maids. Her eyes were transfixed on him, as if she were a deer who had just spotted a leopard. Just seconds later she let out a piercing scream, enough to shatter the still of the night several times over. “THIEF…THIEF, CATCH HIM…SOMEBODY! QUICK!

Lights were hurriedly switched on, and other servants emerged for the other rooms. Hema’s parents too, came out of their room to see what the commotion was all about. The intruder panicked, and began running looking desperately for an avenue to escape. He entered a room with half the household in pursuit, some distance away.

They had all seen the room he had entered and a couple of the male servants had armed themselves with rolling pins and frying pans to take him on. When they all entered the room, they turned on the lights and there he was…standing next to the dining table. By now, Hema and her parents had also come into the room.

They saw the man cornered against one side of the room, looking around desperately for a window to jump out from. Hema MAlini was in the room but now his priorities were to get out of this mess. As the servants confronted him loudly, he made his final and most fatal mistake of the day. He reached for a knife from the dining table, brandishing it before everyone to keep away from him.

Seeing that he had armed himself, someone from the room went out to call the police, while the others kept the ‘thief’ at bay. Soon enough, the police arrived and the young man was placed in custody. But the tragic part of the story was still to follow.

All this commotion and excitement had put severe stress on Hema Malini’s father. He had been a heart patient for some years and the events of the night took their toll. He collapsed, clutching his heart in pain and by the time medical assistance could be provided, he passed away. 

After police interrogations were completed and the young man’s story verified, the real tragedy of the story emerged.  This was a crazed fan whose ardent devotion need not have taken such a perverse turn that night.  And that was the day when Hema cursed her stardom and the bereavement in her family it had caused.