At a celebration marking six decades in cinema, Hema Malini spoke warmly about Deepika Padukone and suggested that she could make a strong choice to portray her in a biopic. At a Mumbai event held in honour of her long career, Hema was asked which actress she would want to see play her if her life were ever brought to screen. When Deepika’s name came up, she replied, “If she wants, she can do it. Anybody can do it. Deepika is a beautiful, talented girl.” Their bond has deep roots, too. Back in 2017, Hema had invited Deepika to unveil her biography, Hema Malini: Beyond The Dream Girl, by Ram Kamal Mukherjee. Deepika’s link to Hema also reaches back to ‘Om Shanti Om’, where her character Shantipriya echoed Hema’s legendary Dream Girl persona.
