Jeetendra and Hema Malini were almost about to get married if not for a drunk Dharmendra. The incident is depicted in Hema Malini's biography. 

It is not a hidden fact that Jeetendra has been enjoying marital bliss with Shobha Kapoor for about more than four and a half decades. But not many know that Jeetendra almost was about to tie the knot with Hema Malini in Chennai and that their wedding was gatecrashed by a 'drunk' Dharmendra. As Jeetendra celebrates his 78th birthday today, this lesser-known fact from his life deserves to be uncovered. 

According to Hema Malini's biography 'Hema Malini: Beyond The Dream Girl', her parents were upset with her romance with Dharmendra who was married at that time. Hema Malini's mother Jaya Chakravarthy thought of getting her married to someone else and immediately thought of Jeetendra. It is said that even though Jeetendra seemed to be smitten with Hema Malini, the two agreed to remain friends after the latter refused to start a romantic relationship with him. 

Dharmendra was however displeased with their budding friendship and reportedly created a ruckus on the sets of their film once. It is said that Hema Malini was also convinced by her mother to meet Jeetendra's parents who were more than happy with the match. As a result, even Jeetendra agreed to marry Hema Malini for the sake of the two families. The Baghban actor and Jeetendra's parents reached Chennai for a private wedding ceremony but an esteemed publication got the news and published it right on the front page. When Dharmendra got the news, he along with Jeetendra's then ladylove Shobha Kapoor headed off to Chennai to stop the wedding. After Dharmendra reached the wedding spot, Hema Malini's father also lashed out at him and asked him to stay away from her as he was already married.

Even after repeatedly being asked to leave, Dharmendra refused to leave as he was also a little drunk and was finally allowed to talk to Hema Malini alone. Dharmendra managed to convince Hema Malini to refuse to marry Jeetendra. The book lastly mentioned how a humiliated Jeetendra left the spot in rage and finally went on to marry Shobha Kapoor on October 18, 1974.