If a biopic were made on Hema Malini, who would be your pick to portray the Hindi film industry’s Dream Girl? Well, the veteran actor has her answer ready. At an event celebrating her 60-year career last week, Malini said that Deepika Padukone would be an apt choice to portray her in a biopic.

Talking to mid-day, the actor elaborated on her choice, saying, “Deepika is a pretty girl. I have seen her films. She comes across as someone who has dignity and beauty with poise.”

Malini’s story — her rise as one of the leading heroines of the 1970s and ’80s, her accomplishments as a Bharatanatyam dancer, and her love story with her late husband Dharmendra — serves as fascinating material for a retelling on the screen. If author and filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee has his way, the biopic may be realized.

The writer, who penned Malini’s authorised biography, Beyond The Dream Girl, told mid-day, “While I was writing the book, I had casually mentioned about a biopic on her. She laughed and ignored the topic coyly. But it would be interesting to see Deepika playing the younger role of Hema ji, and Hema ji playing her age in the film. Having two most beautiful faces from Indian cinema would be a treat for the audience.”

In 2017, Padukone had launched Malini’s biography. Mukherjee recalled, “Deepika wrapped the dubbing for Padmaavat [2018] and accepted my invite to launch the biography. If Hema ji feels I am deserving, it would be an honour for me to direct her biopic.”