MALLIKA SHERAWAT

MALLIKA  BIOGRAPHY

Date of birth : 24th october 1981
Place of birth : Hisar and rohtak Haryana

Education : Graduation in philosophy from miranda house delhi university.

Birth Name : Reema Lambha

Nickname Bollywood's Kissing Queen

Height 5' 6½" (1.69 m) 

"I've slogged like crazy to get where I am. And those who think it's just my body that got me where I am, they should take a look at the others who have rushed in after me. They haven't gone beyond their first feverish film".

"I have always looked up to Bipasha and she has certainly opened a lot of doors for many actresses like us. But I don't want to compete against anyone. I think I am one of a kind".

"I have always wanted to be an actress. In spite of strong opposition from my orthodox family, I came to Mumbai in 2002 on completion of my graduation from Delhi University. In fact, I ran off from home to pursue my career. I knew my parents would never let me be an actress, so I had to take the bold step. However, I have a strong support from my kid brother Vikram, whom I love more than anything else in this world."

"I would like to say I handle criticism well. In fact I enjoy reading the comments of the critics. It's great to have critics blasting you all the time. It keeps you on your toes, spurs you, challenges you, makes you want to get better. I take everything positively. There's so much to learn and do." (Movie Mag International, September 2004)

On her film, The Myth (2005): I may not be here to titillate, but I am not sorry if I have that edge. People aren't coming to the theaters to see me in a burqa". (Movie Mag International, September 2004)

"I had a song with Tusshar Kapoor in _Jeena Sirf Merre Liye_(2002) and they cut it. I'm so happy nobody went to the theaters to watch the film. The only people who must have watched the film were Tusshar's family, my family and Kareena's".(Stardust, March 2003)

"I graduated from Delhi, and came down to Bombay to try my hand at films. I always wanted to be an actress. I'd ape all the actresses before the mirror even when it was forbidden in my community. Wide-eyed as I may sound, it's a dream come true, yaar! I remember when I disclosed my career option to my folks, all hell broke loose. My father is a zamindar back home. So you can imagine all the fuss. And my mom, she still wears a ghunghat." (Stardust, March 2003)

On attending the Cannes Film Festival: "It was a surreal experience. There were thousands of photographers, and it seemed like an endless sea of flashbulbs was popping everywhere. They all kept screaming, 'Jackie, Mallika, Jackie, Mallika! The first thought that flashed through my mind was, 'Where did my journey begin and look where I am today'. It seems a really long trip from Rohtak to Cannes. The walk down the red carpet on Jackie Chan's arm, dining with Salma Hayek, George Lucas, Harry Weinstein....meeting them, sharing a conversation with them. And these are people I admire so much, they are the who's who of the world cinema and I was meeting them in the flesh! I felt a great sense of achievement. I felt so important there. And I wasn't there in Cannes as a model or anything like that. Jackie Chan launched me there as an actress! I made my debut in Cannes! Madonna made her first statement in Cannes when she wore the conical bra, Brigitte Bardot and Grace Kelly were launched there..." (Cine Bliitz magazine, July 2005)

"Isn't it great that I evoke a reaction from people? Whether it is good or bad is secondary. The thing is that I like being myself. I find it very tiresome to put up a fake smile, say the right things, be diplomatic. It's just not in my personality to be like that." (Cine Bliitz magazine, July 2005)

"Who cares what people say about me? I am right on the ball. And I don't think one should take oneself too seriously. Be like the laughing Buddha, I always say, smile through life! It will immediately look better!" (Cine Bliitz magazine, July 2005)

"I never wanted to belong to a crowd. I never had a herd mentality...I always knew what I wanted and I made sure I got it. And I always knew that I wanted to be an actress. I exist because I can act. I will not sit here and say, 'Arrey, by chance, offer aa gaya' (I got the offer by chance). No, I made acting happen to me. The first opportunity I got to act, I grabbed it. Nobody had even heard of me till a couple of years ago. But it's by sheer hard work and focus that I am here. Also, I think I chose the right scripts. Like Robert De Niro says, 'Talent is in the choice you make!'." (Cine Bliitz magazine, July 2005)

"My family doesn't understand the concept of going to Cannes. My mother keeps telling all my relatives, 'Oh, woh kahin gayi hain' (she has gone somewhere). I don't even try and explain to her what Cannes was all about, because she will not understand. When they saw my outfits, their eyes popped out of thier sockets, that's what got their attention!" (Cine Bliitz magazine, July 2005)

"If a chemical drug like Viagra is accepted by society and by the world to ignite desire, then what is the problem with my audio-visual drug called cinema which ignites desire? Both are basically doing the same thing!" (Cine Blitz magazine, May 2006)

On being criticized for doing kissing scenes: "For God's sake, I am a young girl. Do I look like a nun to you? If the hero can enjoy the kiss, why can't I? And to top it all Himanshu (Khwahish (2003)) is very good looking."

herawat was born Reema Lamba in Rohtak, Haryana to a Jat family. She was born on October 24, though the year is unknown. She adopted the screen name of Mallika, meaning empress, to avoid confusion with other actresses named Reema. Sherawat is her mothers maiden name. She has stated that she uses her mothers maiden name because of the support that her mother has provided her. Friends have said, though, that she opted for the surname Sherawat for its distinctive sound and not, as Mallika later said, because of her strained relationship with her father and his relatives.

Sherawat went to school at Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. She has obtained a degree in philosophy from Miranda House, Delhi University. During the initial days of her career, she claimed to have come from a very conservative small town family, and that she faced many hurdles from her family in pursuing her career. Mallika also has reportedly claimed that her mother trashed her when she applied lipstick, she still wears Ghoonghat and that women are treated like cattle at her home. However, Mallikas family has refuted this as a story created by her to give her an aura of a small town rustic girl who made it big in Bollywood. It has been reported that she was married for a short while to a Jet Airways pilot Captain Karan Singh Gill, although she has reportedly portrayed herself either as unmarried or married against her wishes.

Before entering films, Sherawat appeared in television commercials with Amitabh Bachchan for BPL and Shahrukh Khan for Santro. She also appeared in Nirmal Pandeys Maar Dala and Surjit Bindrakhias Lak Tunoo music video. She debuted in films with a small role in Jeena Sirf Merre Liye where she was credited as Reema Lamba.

Sherawat attracted notice with her appearance in the 2003 film, Khwahish. In 2004, she starred in Murder, a film inspired by Hollywoods Unfaithful. She received a nomination for Best Actress at the Zee Cine Awards for her performance in Murder. The film went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year.

Since then, Sherawat has been known for expressing her opinions in public, as well for the reaction to some of her statements.

In 2005, Sherawat acted in The Myth, a Chinese film, co-starring with Jackie Chan. She played the role of an Indian princess who falls in love and is rescued by Jackie. The Myth was her first International film. Her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival to promote the film grabbed a lot of attention with Time Magazines Richard Corliss calling her the next big thing.

Her performance in the 2006 film Pyaar Ke Side Effects, co-starring Rahul Bose, won her praise from around the industry, and the film also did moderately well at the box office.