No mincing words for Mallika

If you thought 17 kisses was the boldest thing Mallika Sherawat was capable of, it’s time for a double take. For a talk show last week saw more fiery fiesta from her.
“If Hindi films need to be banned on grounds of nudity, Naga sadhus at the Kumbh mela should be banned first. And then the tribes in Arunachal Pradesh!�
Mallika was responding to a charge by journalist Nikhil Wagle that sex in films is reaching new heights.Now, she laughs: “Somehow, I’ve always had talk show hosts take my side. Not that I couldn’t stand my own alone.�
Any doubt about the girl’s independence is wiped away when she tells how she ran away from home. “I was born and brought up in a small town in Haryana called Hisaar. I wore nothing but salwar kameezes until I was 16 and moved to Delhi,� she says.
“I may have always wanted to be an actress, but my resolve became stronger when Farrokh Chothia spotted me and asked me to do some pictures. When I went back to Delhi and told my parents, they were aghast. So I ran away, sold my earrings and rented a place in Mumbai.�
Mallika reveals that her parents took her back to Delhi, but she ran away again. “I’m still not on talking terms with my father, though my mother does come and see me now that I’m successful,� she says.
Today, she feels her biggest reward are the letters she gets from girls in Haryana. “Back there, men beating their wives is a done thing,� she says. “I have friends who are in that situation. I refused to be part of that and chose to follow my dream.�
If Mallika throws controversial quotes as easily as she admits to not knowing English well — “I think it’s more important to know Hindi in this industry,� she says — she reveals that her outspokenness has also found her a mentor.
“My next film is with Mahesh Bhatt called Murder. And he got in touch with me only because he liked the way I expressed my views.� Birds of a feather, shall we say?
jamal.shaikh@timesgroup.com