In 1978, Hema's father died which was a big setback for her family. Dharam came in full support for her family and the chances of duo getting married increased.
But as per law, Dharmendra, a Hindu, could not marry Hema until he divorced his first wife.
To avoid this, Dharmendra and Hema changed their religion to Islam, and the actor was named Dilawar Khan and Hema was called Aisha.
The duo finally married but it was a quiet event and nobody came to know about it.
This fact this didn't hinder their relationship and on May 2, 1980, the couple re-married in Hema's South Indian Iyer tradition.
