India's bold new face

Not exactly known for her acting, Indian starlet Mallika Sherawat tells Jyothi Venkatesh a good film is all about the story

Mallika Sherawat is the bold new face — and body — in Hindi films. She's taken her obvious brand of oomph to Cannes as well.

Here she chats carelessly about her latest film, her fan base and her determination to "never dance to the tune of a hero".

Excerpts:

What exactly is your role in Bachke Rehna Re Baba?

In Bachke Rehna Re Baba, [acting legend] Rekhaji and I play aunt and niece.

Rekhaji teaches me the fine art of seducing men and looting them. Who better than Rekhaji to teach me this! We play a pair of con women.

There is a raw sensuality in the film. I could identify with my character 100 per cent.

I should confess that in the beginning I was quite nervous of working with Rekhaji but she made me comfortable.

How do you rate Rekha as an actress?

I should say she is the original diva of Bollywood. She has acted in more than 200 films in a career spanning about 36 years.

To be frank, I wanted to be at least as good as Rekhaji if not better than her in this film.

It is high time Indian actresses stand on their feet. Bachke Rehna Re Baba is totally women oriented and I enjoyed working on it.

What is your most memorable experience on the sets of Bachke Rehna Re Baba?

Once on the sets Rekhaji and [actor] Paresh Rawalji were feeling awkward because they had to kiss each other.

I volunteered to teach Rekhaji how to kiss, because after my experience in Khwaish and Murder, I am known as the kissing queen in Bollywood.

After Khwaish, I have stopped counting the number of kisses I have in a film.

Why have you hired bodyguards for yourself in India?

In Cannes I had Jackie Chan to protect my body. In India Jackie isn't there and so I have hired two bouncers to protect me whenever I go out.

How was Cannes?

It was mind-blowing as well as humbling. I could meet the who's who of world cinema and talk about films.

Just two minutes before I was to step on the red carpet with Jackie Chan, my grandmother called me and said I had left my chunri (scarf) at home!

And then I was standing in front of the paparazzi with Jackie Chan serenading me and thinking, ‘I've come a long way from a small town in Haryana'.

How much do your fans matter?

To me, the most important person is the common man who has bought a ticket with his hard-earned money to watch my film.

Whether you like it or not, at the end of the day it is all about the box office.

To me a fan's chappal [a slipper, usually thrown in anger and derision] is like a flower [typically showered as a blessing].

Big heroes seem averse to working with you.

I do not think so. However, I will not dance to the tune of heroes. No matter who is in the movie, I will never ever do a small role.

Have you let success go to your head?

People ask me why Kis Kiss Ki Kismat flopped despite Mallika Sherawat being there.

I have always maintained that skin show and sex do not make a film work. It is always the story and not the actor who makes a film a hit.

Why do you not accept roles without glamour?

I look for challenging roles. It is just the beginning of my career. Why should I start doing de-glamourised roles at this stage of my career? I do not want to do the roles of the bhabhi, behan, jethani and nanad (roughly translated as sisters-in-law and sister).

I am happy doing glamorous and sexy roles. My fans love me doing such type of roles. If any one feels I am too vulgar, he can stay at home.

I am not holding a gun over people's heads and compelling them to watch my films.