At 48, Mallika Sherawat remains as fierce as ever, debunking
Bollywood
's 'expiration date' myth. While Hindi movies in her resume of late may be limited, she declares that she is here for another two-decade innings. Excerpts as followed
‘People who say, ‘Mallika is irrelevant’, their thinking is irrelevant’
Mallika has been traveling LA to Mumbai like Mumbai to Delhi in the last couple of years. As she sits down for a conversation with us, she has a clear agenda – bust a myth. “
Bollywood mein ye soch hai ki
, once an actress hits her prime in their youth, there is no second chance for them.
Wo gumnami ke andhoron mein kho jaati hai
. That is something I want to address. It’s been more than 2 decades, and I am still relevant with directors writing parts for me. This is outdated thinking. People who say, ‘Mallika is irrelevant’, their thinking is irrelevant.
Main thi, main hoon aur main rahungi
.
Logon ko bata luft aata hai
to see the collapse of an icon. But they will not get this joy out of me,” she roars.
‘I have not done any plastic surgery or Botox’
Defying industry norms, Mallika proudly declares, “I'm looking exactly the way I looked in murder with the same body with the same intensity, with the same enthusiasm and I'm proud of it. I have not done any plastic surgery or Botox. I lead a very disciplined life. I sleep on time. I don't drink alcohol, no cigarettes. Why do you need fake injections, botox, and harmful chemicals? You are tying your self-image with these chemicals. I don't judge people who do it. But I would never do it.”
‘I have stood against time’
Bollywood's 'crabs in a bucket' mentality hasn't clipped Mallika's wings either. The industry that thrives on sowing self-doubt has not influenced the
Welcome
actress. “I never get affected by these things; I live my life on my terms. I don't listen to all this nonsense. It doesn't matter to me what they say. I have stood against time. All these new faces who are basking in their so-called claim to stardom I will meet them 20 years later, I will still be there looking exactly like this with the same body with the same face without makeup and no plastic surgery," she affirms.
'My parents gave me everything but they didn't give me freedom of thought'
As she comments about the future, we take Mallika 20 years back. Born as
Reema Lamba
, the actress ran her hometown in Haryana. “I was a rebellious child,” she confesses. “My parents gave me everything but they didn't give me freedom of thought. I wanted to live my life the way I wanted to live. When I ran away from home and I came to Bombay, I got a sense of independence. There was no patriarchy. So, we have to get out of it. We women are doing it to ourselves (by being shackled). There is nobody to blame really. We have to take the initiative and expand our thinking, our consciousness, and make bold decisions towards life the way I did. And it paid off,” she recalls. She adds, "Getting a sense of economic independence is so important for women. Till you do not have economic independence, your destiny is controlled by other people. The day you control your purse, you'll control your life; you live your life on your own terms. Otherwise, they will tell you how to live your life. 2024 is a great time to be a woman. All you have to do is just be bold - be bold in your thinking and make a decision."
‘The Sex symbol tag was regressive’
Early in her career, Mallika was marred by the tag of “sex symbol”. She admits, “It was a very regressive tag...I believe boldness is in the mind.” But does she ever think that her bold image may have cost her projects? She replies, “There are two sides of a coin. If you're too coy, then certain things don't work out for you. If you are bold, certain things don't work out for you. You must choose the best, with what's available. I like to focus my attention on what's working for me rather than what's not working for me. Because what's working for me has given me fame. It's made me extremely rich.
'I feel underutilized in comedy'
Mallika, who is back in Mumbai says, “it’s a good feeling to know that I was missed.” She was last seen in
Vicky Vidya ka Voh Waala Video
, however, ask her about her upcoming work and she claims, “We are reading scripts right now.” She adds, “People still have not tapped my potential. I want the industry to use my comic timing, and my potential in more comedies because I enjoy doing comedy. I feel underutilized in comedy and I want the industry to offer me more comic roles. Also, I want to do roles with substance now.” Talking about substance Mallika reveals she has refused multiple projects as they lacked substance, one of the many was Ishaan Khatter-starrer
The Royals
, where she was supposed to play Ishaan's on-screen mother. While she doesn't address the project directly, she opens up about saying no to projects, “It (Saying no) didn't pinch me, but it pinched my manager more. But I was promised something and what translated looked very lame to me on paper. I felt cheated and let down, So, then I didn’t want to be a part of that."
Meanwhile, her recent meet with her mentor Mahesh Bhatt sparked rumours of a reunion. “It's a dream to work with him again. He has brought up an idea, we are working on it and hopefully it will all turn into a film soon,” she confirms.
'We broke up; I am single'
While she is looking for more funny roles in her professional space, she is also looking for the right man in her personal space. “It’s so difficult in this day and age to find a worthy man,” she says. While she claims to be single, ask her if she is, she replies, “Ye sach hai; I am single.” Mallika was dating French civilian
Cyrille Auxenfans
. Mention him and Mallika states, “We broke up... I really don't want to talk about it.”
She, however, does speak on her idea of the institution of marriage. “I'm not for it, but I'm not against it. I'm indifferent to it. It depends on what two people want, she signs off.
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