The grief of losing a life partner of decades is not something that comes with easy words. Hema Malini found herself reaching for them anyway at a tribute held in Dharmendra’s memory this week, reflecting openly on what his absence means and what his presence meant for the better part of six decades. Standing before an audience gathered to honour Dharmendra at the opening of Lens & Legacy: Bollywood in Focus at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi on Thursday, she spoke about what it meant to have shared a life with him and what it now means to carry on without him. “He was a great man. I am truly blessed to have been with him, but I miss him a lot now. He is no longer there, so I don’t know how I am going to cope with the rest of my life,” she said, visibly emotional. Her words about his relationship with cinema were equally personal. She recalled how deeply he believed in the power of film to reach people, often saying that it was a means of speaking directly to the heart.…