Actor Mallika Sherawat recently opened up about the backlash she faced after her breakout role in Murder (2004). Speaking on Ranveer Allahbadia’s show, she recalled the public outrage over the film’s bold content and shared a story about being ‘shamed’ on national television. Mallika revealed that after the film’s release, her effigies were burned, and she faced intense judgment, but she chooses to focus on the positive aspects of her fame rather than the criticism.
Recalling an incident on a news channel with Mahesh Bhatt, she said, “I went to a news channel with Bhatt saab during Murder, and the news anchor started reciting the lyrics of the song to me. He focused on certain words, and he asks me, this journalist, ‘Sharam nahi aayi (Didn’t you feel ashamed)?’ Directly! I told him, ‘No, I didn’t feel ashamed. In fact, I had a blast.’ He was shocked at how a girl can speak to him like that. I was very open about it. I said, ‘We have used erotica for box office.’”
Addressing the societal expectations placed on women, Mallika reflected on the patriarchal attitudes she encountered. “Women are controlled through shame. It serves the patriarchal culture to control women through shame. But I feel now, it’s becoming less. Women are becoming more open. As compared to 2004, definitely. They burnt my effigies after Murder. Society at the time wasn’t prepared for either me or Murder.”
In an earlier chat that recently went viral on Reddit, she had shared that because of the daring roles she portrayed in films, many top actors assumed she would be willing to compromise with them off-screen as well. They would call her at night, implying that her boldness on-screen should translate into her personal life, expecting her to meet them.
She had said, “Some heroes would call me and say ‘come and see me at night’. Aur main phone pe kehti thi, ‘Why should I come and see you at night? For what?’ They would say, ‘Aree tum itne bold roles kar leti ho screen pe, toh mere ko raat ko milne mein kya problem hai?’ The heroes were taking this kind of liberties with me. They were thinking ke jab yeh parde pe itne bold scenes karti hai, toh humare saath bhi bold ho sakti hai, humare saath bhi toh compromise kar sakti hai. I am not like that.”
Besides Bollywood, Mallika Sherawat has also worked in international projects such as Hisss, Time Raiders, and Dirty Politics.
Mallika, who was last seen in RK/RKay, recently appeared in the comedy film Vicky Vidya Ka Voh Wala Video, starring Rajkummar Rao, Triptii Dimri, and Vijay Raaz. Although the film received poor reviews, it earned over Rs 5 crore on its first day at the box office.
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