Mallika Sherawat has returned to the big screen with the recently released film "Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video," where she plays an important role with Rajkummar Rao, Triptii Dimri, and Vijay Raaz. Renowned for her bold roles, she recently discussed the challenges she faced following the success of "Murder" with Emraan Hashmi, which catapulted her into fame but also brought its own difficulties, especially from her contemporaries in Bollywood.
According to a report in News18, Mallika while talking to Ranveer Allahbadia on his podcast, shared, “Murder gave me stardom, but most importantly, it gave me economic independence. For me, winning awards was never the goal. What mattered was being able to live life on my own terms and make decisions, regardless of whether they were right or wrong. Fame is just a byproduct.”
Mallika also reflected on how the success of "Murder" shifted people's attitudes toward her. She said, “Murder changed everything. Suddenly, everyone recognised me, and their attitude toward me shifted. Fame back then was much bigger. In the early 2000s, I carved out a space for myself, but today’s newcomers have to deal with a different reality. No matter how big a hit a film is, it fades from memory within two weeks because of the tsunami of content.”
The actress also spoke about doing roles distinct from her contemporaries and how the era was not ready for the kind of roles she did. “The culture wasn’t ready for me back then, and it wasn’t ready for Murder either. Only now has Bollywood caught up to where I was in 2004. At that time, actresses were expected to follow a certain code of conduct. They were shy, while I was unapologetic. With Murder, a femme fatale was introduced.”
“There are some big-name actresses in Bollywood whose names I won’t take, but they were condescending to my face,” she added.
Sherawat said that she then sought solace from her mentor, Mahesh Bhatt. "I ran to him crying, and he told me, ‘enjoy it because the day they stop talking about you they will cry.' He said that you should feel happy that he is talking about you. I think he was trying to toughen me up.”
Bd-pratidin English/Afia
