Hisss & Tell

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Back in India to shoot for Double Dhamaal after almost a year in Los Angeles, Mallika Sherawat can’t stop talking about what a great time she had in Hollywood.
Now that she has experienced both Bollywood and Hollywood, how does she compare the two? The actress seems undecided but is sure of one thing — that she has a great time in both cities. “I was touched by the warm response and reception I got at the airport from my brother and fans. I missed Bollywood. Though Hollywood was

very good to me (she is the first Bollywood star to receive an Honorary Citizenship and Official Resolution from the City of Los Angeles), Bollywood has been a lot more generous. Even though I didn’t have a godfather in Bollywood, I got enough acknowledgements for my work. People in Hollywood have honoured me. Getting an honour in the city of Los Angeles on the eve of India’s Independence Day made me so proud. It feels great when you have milkshakes dedicated to you or when a composer like Yanni dedicates a song, Changes…, to you. It does make me feel more special.’’
So after all the adulation, does she plan to settle down in LA permanently? “I have become bi-continental or, you could say, bi-coastal. I am in LA and in Mumbai. That is home for me as well. I am comfortable anywhere. I have made great friends in the States but Bollywood is my home. I will work wherever I get work but then you always come back to your roots. I am open to good scripts from any part of the world. I would love to do South Indian movies and movies from Japan and Korea as well.”
Given the fact that none of her films have released in the States, Mallika still insists that the filmi crowd acknowledges her. “People already acknowledge me in the States though Hisss is yet to release. It will release in India first. People over there are yet to see my films and react. I am keeping my fingers crossed,” she says adding that she gets along really well with the film fraternity in LA.
Hisss is perhaps the meatiest role Mallika has ever had. When asked whether her life changed post-Hisss, Mallika says that it definitely raised the bar as an actress. “I got an opportunity to play an icchadhari nagin. She is a kind of a goddess. Down South people pray to the nagin for a child. That element has been added into the movie. I peel off my skin and my eyes change. Actors rarely get opportunities to do such roles and above all, I look sexy. I swallow my victims whole so they have to pray for mercy.’’
Describing the role a little more in detail: “It was really cold while shooting down South in the jungles of Thekkady. And I had to roll around in the mud naked! People still speak about my 17 kisses in Khwaish but at least I was kissing a human and not a snake! It was so slimy, licking and kissing the snake. Jennifer (the director) used to tell me, ‘Be passionate. You’re the nagin. A nagin kissing a snake,’ and that was pure torture. Snakes are cold-blooded creatures and I had to be cold-blooded too. It was tough. It took over four hours for the make-up to be applied. I couldn’t drink anything the whole day and was dehydrated as I was wearing a complete body suit and couldn’t even visit the loo... The passion was only with the nag. I can still taste it.”
Mallika may not have had any releases in the last couple of years, but she is hardly ever out of the news. Photographs of her with one celebrity or the other are always popping up on the Internet. So, does she have a special “celebrity” moment? “Definitely meeting Bill Clinton,’’ she says adding, “He is the most charming personality I have ever met. We spoke about politics and Hisss and Love Barrack, the film that I shot for in LA. He was happy that it was not a serious movie,” she smiles.
Often accused of indulging in PR gimmicks like posing with a snake in Cannes, Mallika is quick to defend herself. “I don’t think I am posting for pictures just to get attention. I went to Cannes with Jackie Chan in 2005 and he got a lot of attention. He is an international star. But this time when I went to Cannes with a snake I got a lot more attention and the only difference was that a nag had replaced Jackie Chan. To get that kind of attention in Bollywood is okay... but to get that kind of attention in Hollywood makes me proud. After Aishwarya Rai and Slumdog Million-aire, many doors opened for people like me.”
The actress who rebelled against her family to join films does not like to talk about her personal life. “I’d rather not talk about my family. Success has not changed anything. My mom and brother have changed their attitude towards me. They come from an ultra conservative and ultra traditional background.”
And marriage? “I am on the hunt for the right man. Right now my brother is the only man in my life. He has been a rock-steady support. Surprisingly, when I start ‘hissing’ they (men) run away. I think they would like to see me kissing and not hissing. No, I am not lonely nor am I missing any man in my life. My life is so full. I am having such a good time. My brother is here with me and I have the right projects in hand. But yes, I am open to having a man in my life. Why not?” she adds laughing, “There are a lot of actors who have asked me out. They are very popular actors and I am in the process of making up my mind. I am enjoying my independence. I have become choosy too. Yet I feel it’s time I announced a boyfriend.”