Mallika
Sherawat is a hot name today in India. A rebel against
all conservative social norms, this 25-year-old actress
has made a distinguished place for herself in Indian
films.
Since
she stepped into the big bad world of movies, she has
constantly been at the center of controversies and media
attention for her alleged vulgarity. Her first movie,
Khwaish [Wish], which took India by storm, had 17
kissing scenes. Her second film, Murder, was an
unconventional thriller about a woman who embarks on an
extramarital affair with an old flame. Sex and cleavage
have won her instant stardom.
Born in
Haryana, a northern Indian state, Sherawat has struggled
to leave behind the prudish mores of her hometown and
now openly advocates showing skin and physical intimacy
in movies.
"I
celebrate the female form. I think it is beautiful. I
don't see any harm in wearing a swimsuit on the beach.
Unfortunately, Indian society is hypocritical," she said
during an interview.
"In
Khwaish, I go to buy condoms on my wedding night, and
that was a big success with the youths, but the older
people frown at such things," she said. Her dare-to-bare
attitude has won her the coveted status of a sex symbol
in the country. "It is fantastic. We had Marilyn Monroe.
Today we have Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce Knowles. They
are all sexy women. If people think I am sexy, it is a
big compliment."
And
even though the media love to criticize her and the
public relishes the controversies that surround her, she
says it does not let it bother her.
"Criticism is good and it keeps you on your toes. You
always want to do better and prove your critics wrong.
My latest film, Pyar Ke Side Effects [Side Effects of
Love], is a frank exploration of a love affair between a
man and a woman in a live-in relationship
[cohabitation]. It is a big hit. I do not think you can
reach a higher status in life [merely] by showing your
body. The people have to like the story and the
character you play. Unless there is meat in the story,
the film can't be successful. Actresses after me who
have only shown their bodies are nowhere today," she
said.
The
wrath of the older members of society, especially women
who would rather not have a daughter-in-law like her,
does not perturb Sherawat. "I don't like Indian
hypocrisy. Indians don't want to talk about sex or
extramarital affairs, even though we are called the land
of the Kama Sutra. Despite which, we don't want to show
kissing in movies. Instead, two flowers are shown
meeting or birds flying as a sign of intimacy."
Having
worked in movies that have challenged the social norms
in India, she now believes her work has been successful
in motivating change. "Change in society is definitely
there. Demographically, 70 percent of our population is
under the age of 30. India is the youngest nation in the
world. We want to see movies we can identify with," she
said.
Mention
international films to Sherawat and she can launch into
a breathless discussion of the subject. She praises
South Korean filmmakers for effectively marketing their
movies, she raves about Chinese cinema and she is a
great admirer of Japanese movies.
"There
is also a change in Japanese cinema--there is explicit
representation of violence and sex, like in movies by
Takashi Miike [Audition, Ichi the Killer, Happiness of
the Katakuris]. I would love to work with Takeshi Kitano
[Zatoichi, HANA-BI, Brother] or Hideo Nakata [Ring, Dark
Water]," she said.
She
worked with Jackie Chan in his flick, The Myth, and has
no intention to quit exploring films overseas. "I would
love to do Japanese movies. A challenging role, like the
role played by the actress in Kiosk by Nakata or a role
in Audition by Miike," she said. "I think Japanese will
love my movies. Young people are the same everywhere.
They have the same issues so they relate to it in a very
similar way," she said.
Does
that mean Indian films no longer interest her?
"Bollywood is my bread and butter. But I want it to be
more contemporary. I want that there should be more
aggressive female roles in I
ndia. Bollywood is a very
male-dominated industry, so I am trying to find roles in
this environment which are very female-centric, scripts
that revolve around me, like my role in Murder, where my
character has a lot of shades of emotions."
Sherawat always wanted to be an actress, feeling a need
to be on set, playing different characters. She says her
drive comes from doing good cinema and being an integral
part of the change in films.
As she
confidently puts it herself: "People say that I have
brought in a revolution in the way actresses are looked
at. This gives me immense pleasure. Things that were
considered vulgar and frowned upon are no more
considered that."
Article Source
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/index.htm
Sheena Sanam / Yomiuri Shimbun New Delhi Bureau
