Personal life
She worked as an air hostess prior to entering films and it was around this time that she married a pilot, Karan Singh Gill. They are now divorced.
Sherawat's birth name is Reema Lamba; she says that adopted the screen name of "Mallika", meaning "empress" to avoid confusion with other actresses named Reema. "Sherawat" is her mother's maiden name. She has stated that she uses her mother's maiden name because of all the support her mother has provided for her. There is also a controversy regarding her age. A news channel in India had alleged that she was already a graduate before starting to work as an airhostess and hence she can't be as young as she claims. She has also a degree in Indian philosophy from Miranda House, Delhi University.
Career
Mallika Sherawat was born on October 24 1976 in Rohtak District, Haryana. Her birth name was Reema Lamba but she re-christened herself to Mallika Sherawat to avert possible confusion by the name Reema in the filmindustry. She chooses Mallika to feel like queen and Sherawat, being her mother’s last name. She belong to an orthodox family and her family members, specially her father is not supportive over her idea of becoming an actress or turn to the world of glamour. But she was so determined to realize her dream; she even defied his father’s wish and move to Mumbai to pursue her dream.
She attended Miranda House College and has graduation degree in Indian Philosophy from Delhi University. After her graduation, she started working as a part time airhostess and also married Jet Airways pilot Captain Karan Singh Gill in Delhi. But soon she walked out of marriage as she prioritize her career and go more serious about finding a niche for herself in the world of glamour. At 21, Mallika was on the cover page of an international magazine, Snoop, and the Indian edition of Cosmopolitan. And all this before her debut film had even hit the marquee. Truly outstanding for a girl, who does not come from a famous film family and has no godfather.
Career in Movie
Mallika's onscreen debut was in Lak Tunoo, a music video by Surjit Bindrakhia, but she debuted in a small role in Vashu Bhagnani's Jeena Sirf Mere Liye. But her role was noted most in Khwahish opposite actor Himanshu Mallik for unbridled sensuality where there are almost 17 smooch scenes. Her dare-bare role in this movie brought her more fame in Bollywood.
She then grabbed the role to play in Mahesh Bhatt’s thriller Murder directed by Anurag Basu. Movie was based on a story of a lonely married woman having an affair; the film had shades of celebration, of blossoming passion, love and insecurity. Movie was a success and became the top grosser of 2004 raising Mallika’s popularity immensely. People recognized her talent and skill along with bold scenes in the movie. She was nominated for Best Actress at the Zee Cine Awards ceremony for her performance in Murder. Mallika Sherawat was then signed for Govind Menon’s Kis Kiski Kismat, a comedy film opposite Dharmendra where they played the role of father-in-law and daughter-in-law. She the madea big news bagging a small role in Jackie Chan’s film The Myth, earlier titled as Time Breaker, where she again appeared in revealing costumes. She later made a widely publicized appearance at the Cannes Film Festival to promote The Myth.
Mallika is often accused of simply being a sexy woman without talent. In 2006, she appeared in Pyaar Ke Side Effects co-starring Rahul Bose, that movie garnered decent collections at the box office and stamped Mallika as an actress who started off as an item girl and joined the main stream later on.
Her first 2007 release was Himesh Reshammiya's Aap Ka Suroor - The Real Love Story, where she played a "vampish role". Mallika herself has protested, saying that it is a negative role but not a vamp role. With Aap Ka Suroor she has become the most expensive "Item Girl", as she charged Rs. 1.5 crore for her Item number in the movie. Aap Ka Suroor did well at the box office. Her last release of 2007 was Welcome which also did well at the box office receiving blockbuster status.
Sherawat has been voted as one of Asia's 100 most beautiful people by the Hong Kong based fashion and beauty magazine, Cover.
Mallika has made her debut role in Kollywood (Tamil) film Dasavatharam starring Kamal Haasan, Asin and Jayapradha which is under production and is set to be released on 2008.
Mallika's onscreen debut was in Lak Tunoo, a music video by Surjit Bindrakhia.[3] She attracted wide notice with her appearance in the 2003 movie Khwahish. By Indian standards the movie was quite racy, however it was known for its naturalistic and realistic topic. In 2004, she starred in Murder, a film inspired by Hollywood's Unfaithful that again challenged Indian film standards. She received a nomination for Best Actress at the Zee Cine Awards ceremony for her performance in Murder. The film went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year.[4]
Since then, Sherawat has been known for her courage to express her opinions in public,[5] and went on to make headlines through her outfits and blunt statements.[5]
She also made news when she won a small role in a Jackie Chan movie, The Myth, where she again appeared in revealing costumes. She made a widely publicized appearance at the Cannes Film Festival to promote The Myth.
Since her debut, Mallika was often accused of simply being a sexy woman without talent. However, her performance in the 2006 film Pyaar Ke Side Effects co-starring Rahul Bose won her praise from around the industry,[6] and the film also garnered decent collections at the box office becoming a moderate success.[7] The movie stamped Mallika as an actress who started off as an item girl and joined the main stream later on.
She is now beginning to work in the Kollywood (Tamil) film industry as well. She plays the second fiddle in Dasavatharam starring Kamal Haasan, Asin and Jayapradha.
Her first 2007 release was Himesh Reshammiya's Aap Ka Suroor - The Real Love Story, where she played a "vampish role".[8] Mallika herself has protested, saying that it is a negative role but not a vamp role.[8] With Aap Ka Suroor she has become the most expensive "Item Girl",[9] as she charged Rs. 1.5 crore[9] for her Item number in the movie. Aap Ka Suroor did well at the box office. Her last release of 2007 was Welcome which also did well at the box office receiving blockbuster status.[10]
Sherawat has been voted as one of Asia's 100 most beautiful people by the Hong Kong based fashion and beauty magazine, Cover.