True love story

When ‘Sholay’ was being shot in 1974-75, the romance between the two stars was slowly blossoming into a full blown affair.

The shoot was somewhat complicated because Sanjeev Kumar, also a suitor, was part of the cast. Unlike Dharmendra, he was single and therefore, far more eligible. But Dharmendra was besotted and wore his heart on his sleeve.

When he and Hema shot romantic scenes, he paid the light boys to make mistakes so that he could embrace her again and again. Dharmendra and the light boys had a perfectly worked-out code language.

For instance, when he pulled his ear, the light boys would make a mistake — mess up the trolley movement or make a reflector fall. And if the actor touched his nose, the crew would finish the shot. The fee was Rs 100 per retake, which was a lot of money 40 years ago. On a good day, the light boys could make upto Rs 2,000.