When Hema Malini, Dharmendra overshadowed Chhoti Si Baat's lead with thier special appearance

Hema Malini and Dharmendra are Hindi cinema's evergreen couples and have captivated audiences with their on-screen chemistry in numerous blockbuster films like Dream Girl, Sholay, Seeta Aur Geeta, Chacha Bhatija and Charas. But did you know that the power couple had made a cameo appearance in a film in which they overshadowed the lead actors of the film?

Hema Malini and Dharmendra's cameo in Chhoti Si Baat

Even before their cameo in the film, the actors were well-established in the industry. They were also one of the beloved on-screen pairs and created box-office numbers. They had shared screen space for around 33 films. The duo made a cameo appearance in the 1976 film Chhoti Si Baat. The appearance was a strategic move by the filmmakers to bring the audience to the theatres for the film. 

The calculative move was driven by Hema Malini's mother late Jaya Chakravarthy, who was one of the producers of the film. The film's poster also featured Hema Malini and Dharmendra to leverage the popularity and charm of the celebrated couple to boost the film's prospects at the box office.

The marketing gimmick, however, raised a lot of eyebrows, the critics also said that it may have overshadowed the lead couple's film. 

What do we know about Chhoti Si Baat?

Chhoti Si Baat was directed by Basu Chatterjee and produced by BR Chopra under the banner BR Films. The film featured Amol Palekar, Vidya Sinha, Asrani, and Ashok Kumar in the crucial roles. The film was released on January 9, 1976. The film went on and bag six Filmfare nominations and secured one award for Best Screenplay. It was an official remake of the 1960 British film School For Scoundrels. 

Dharmendra-Hema Malini's love story

Dharmendra and Hema Malini met on the sets of Tu Haseen Main Jawan in 1970. The duo loved spending time together and hit off instantly. The couple were sceptical as during that time, Dharmendra was already married to his first wife Prakash Kaur, and had four children. Despite familial conflicts, the duo dated for five years. They tied the knot in 1980 after Dharmendra secretly converted himself to Islam. The couple have two children, Esha and Ahana Deol.