Mallika's second break in Hollywood

Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The Haryanavi sex bomb Mallika Sherwat has been signed in yet another Hollywood film. We had earlier seen her in a Jackie Chan movie Myth but it was a cameo. This time it is a performance-oriented role. Bill Bannerman, the assistant director of Clint Eastwood has decided to direct this movie named Unveiled.

All this is stale now. What we are interested in knowing is what Mallika herself is feeling having edged past Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty in the international competition. When asked how it felt to be considered over Aishwarya and Shilpa for the role, she says, "I'm not familiar with such news, even if it was so let the best man win. It has always been the rule there is nothing to feel complimented."

Talking about her new Hollywood venture, Mallika says that in 'Unveiled' she is playing a Middle-East Muslim woman who has two husbands and a lover and the journey of her life. This is all I can tell you now. This role is very important to me because it is the first time that an Indian actor has been cast as a lead protagonist in a Hollywood film and also that it is based on the story of a Muslim woman. Muslim woman are stereotypes as under the shadow non-existent beings. Muslim women are living and they too can be independent, have wishes and are not someone who is living under the shadow.

Great guns, no doubt, but isn't Bill Bannerman making a mistake by casting the sex kitten in the role of a Middle-East Muslim woman? Does he think that the box office would still ring with our sex kitten all warped up in a black burqa?

Nevertheless, Mallika says that she has done a lot of research to make the character appear real on screen. "This female is a middle-east Muslim woman. So I had to know how a Muslim woman talks, prays, had conducts herself. I had to transform into a deglamorised, wrecked person during the screen test. As for the accent Bill told me to soften my Indian accent because I was portraying a Middle-East Muslim."

We are truly impressed, Mallika. But how did you bag the role? Replying to this Mallika keeps mum and then smiles, "I don't know. All that I know is that Bill flew me to Los Angeles; there I was asked to do a screen-test after which I was selected for the role."

And do you know that our lady had to appear for a screen-test to get the role. In fact it was like beginning it all again as in Bollywood stars are not required to undertake a screen-test for any character, no matter what the banner or role may be! Listen to what Mallika has to say on this. "I was feeling like a struggler. I had to deglamorise myself and turn into a middle-east Muslim woman. At times I was so nervous that I was wondering how the script landed in my lap. I prayed to all the 'Haryanavi' gods that I knew."

The shooting for the Unveiled will begin after everything has been decided and the cast is e going to shoot in the Middle-East, America and Europe. The film is expected to release by 2008. Here Mallika also tried to shatter a myth surrounding her. There is a common belief that Mallika always has a say in her films as a result of which directors have had a hard time. Denying this, Mallika clarifies, "Ask my co-stars and director for that. As for the 'Unveiled', the script is still under development and as an Indian and being from Asia I will definitely contribute from my part in the movie."

Although there is a buzz that Mallika would now concentrate on building her career in Hollywood, she disagrees. According to her, she loves Bollywood and it's her passion. It also is her bread and butter. "What ever I'm today is because of Bollywood. I cannot go away from it. Well don't you think there should be an exposure of the international market as well? I have got the chance to explore the world market and I'm doing that," says the Haryana sex bomb.

Mallika also differs with the common belief that her 'sex image' has helped her to make a hold in the industry. "It is not so. I have looked for good roles and have done all my roles loyally. In the process if I have been tagged as a sex symbol, well... Anyways who does not want to be called a sex symbol," she gushes. Substantiating her view, Mallika stresses that she did cameos in Guru and Myth not for any additional attention, but in her quest for good roles. "It all depends on how strong the character is in the script. I did a cameo in Myth and see where it took me. It took me all the way to Cannes and gave me so much exposure in the international market. You never know what a role can do. Moreover Myth was a Jackie Chan movie not a Mallika Sherawat movie. And so will Unveiled be a Bill Bannerman movie."

Sexy Sherawat says that Bill has been very kind to her and the best compliment she has received is when he told her 'I have found my girl. You can act and I want you to act in my film.

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