Her dance concerts continued all through her superstardom, post marriage and motherhood. On her father’s suggestion she expanded from pure classical dance form to folk and semi-classical ballets, portraying the lives of mythological and historical characters like Durga, Meera, Ramayan, Savitri, Radha Krishna and more. With time her choice of roles got more adventurous. She was willing to experiment with complex characters like Rihahee, Ek Chadar Maili Si and an over-the-top Jamai Raja. Around this time, she was approached by a publisher who convinced her to become the editor of their newly launched Meri Saheli /New Woman in English and found a voice.
The 1990s proved a landmark decade for the actor. She launched her home production and directed a television serial called Noopur inspired from her own life. Having gained confidence as a director, she next made a feature film Dil Aashna Hai that launched Shah Rukh Khan opposite late Divya Bharati. Around this time, she was mostly doing tele-serials when Vinod Khanna asked her to feature in his son’s debut film Himalay Putra /1997. Next Khanna asked her to campaign for him as Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the 1999 general elections and Hema Malini agreed. In 2000, Hema Malini was appointed as the first female chairperson of the NFDC. In 2003 she joined BJP and also made a comeback in films with Baghban.