Malini was born in a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin family to Jaya Lakshmi and VSR Chakravarti Iyengar in Ammankudi, Madras Province See more

In 2016 the Bombay High Court entertained a Public Interest Litigation challenging allotment of a plot of land in Mumbai to Malini's dance academy. The petitioner Ketan Tirodkar sought to file a cheating case against the actress for defrauding the … See more

Malini is considered amongst the finest actresses of Hindi cinema and is regarded for her range of roles, her dance, beauty and her styling. During the 1970s and early 1980s, she was … See more

1960–1970 (Early work)
Malini had played small roles in Pandava Vanavasam (1965) and Idhu Sathiyam (1962). In 1968, she was chosen to play the lead opposite Raj Kapoor in Sapno Ka Saudagar and was promoted as the Dream Girl. See more

In 1999, Malini campaigned for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Vinod Khanna, a former Bollywood actor, in the Lok Sabha Elections in Gurdaspur, Punjab. … See more

Malini is a supporter of the animal rights organisation, PETA India. In 2009, she wrote a letter to the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner urging … See more

Dance
Malini is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. Her daughters Esha Deol and Ahana Deol are trained Odissi dancers. They performed with Malini in a production called Parampara for charitable events. She also performed … See more