Hema Malini gets plot for dance academy

It is nearly two decades that Bollywood’s dream girl had applied for a piece of land, met politicians and those who mattered and corresponded extensively for setting up a dance academy in Mumbai.

Ultimately the efforts of the actor-politician paid off and her dream of having a dance academy will be fulfilled with the BJP-Shiv Sena government on Tuesday allotting a 2,000 sq mt land in the commercial capital.

Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse on Tuesday formally handed over the allotment letter to the 67-year-old actor-danseuse, a BJP MP from Mathura, at Ramtek, his official residence at Malabar Hill here.

The permission will enable her to set up an academy and a full-fledged cultural complex to impart training in classical and experimental music, arts and dance in Ambivali at the prime Andheri western suburbs of Mumbai.

The actor will be given a final possession letter by the District Collector of Mumbai-Suburban district only after complying with certain stipulations. These include a provision that the Natyavihar Kala Kendra Charity Trust founded by her will have to develop a garden on specified area of the plot and keep it open for public use. Since the proposed academy will run on a charitable basis, it will not be entitled to generate profits, which is another prime requirement.

Hema Malini had approached the state government in 1996 when the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP government was in power. A piece of land was identified but it was locked under the norms of the Coastal Regulatory Zone and has been demanding another plot. During the last 20 years, she had met chief ministers — Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan.