When Hema Malini got up to make her maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha, the pun on dreams was unavoidable. ‘‘I hail from the film world with its dreams and one day I would like to see these (dreams) being transformed into reality,’’ said Hema Malini.‘‘These are dreams of a dream girl,’’ Najma Heptulla from the Chair cut in.Elaborating on her ‘dream’, the actor said a film museum on the lines of Universal Studios in the US should be set up at Mumbai and urged the government to allot a piece of land and funds for the project.She said the proposed studio will be a repository of the past where works of ace directors would find place along with old cameras and other film-related gadgets.The museum should depict ‘‘the thrills and frills, tears and laughter’’ of the Indian film industry that has grown over the past and has today ‘‘created an enviable place in the world’’, she said.One section of the museum would be fully animated and would show the history of the film industry. The project, once it takes off, will thereby become self-sustaining and is bound to become a tourist attraction, she said.When Hema Malini expressed her desire to speak as Question Hour began, objections were raised by Congress members Suresh Pachauri and Narayanswami. However, Deputy Chairperson Heptulla said this would not become a precedent; the house could make an exception for once. A member rued the star her chance as she concluded her speech amid applause: ‘‘Hai ke hum Hema Malini nahi huey (If only we were also Hema Malini).’’
