Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; April 28, 2018)

Mallika Sherawat made kissing on screen fashionable back in the early 2000s. However, after a sensational start in Bollywood, she found fewer opportunities to show her acting chops. Today, she’s a Cannes regular, often seen hobnobbing with A-list Hollywood actors at the French Riviera and at key events in America, apart from doing quirky roles in films across the globe. The actress, who is currently in India for a set of professional commitments, is also fronting a social cause that rehabilitates victims of child sex trafficking. In a conversation with BT, she throws light on what drove her to take up the cause, playing strong characters and why India will take long before it gets its own #MeToo campaign. Excerpts:

It’s been three years since your last Hindi film, Dirty Politics, released. Now that there are talks of Welcome 3 being in the pipeline, can we expect you to make a comeback?
Well, I’d love to be a part of Welcome 3. Romancing Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor in the first installment was so much fun. Anees Bazmee is a fabulous director.

You are known for your sultry avatar in all your films. Will you be willing to shed it, if an exciting and challenging offer comes your way?
I don’t want to shed my glamorous image just for the sake of it. I am a very bold person in real life, too. That’s part of my personality and I am comfortable with it. But having said that, I now want to veer towards performance-oriented roles, and wouldn’t even mind playing a vamp. In fact, I’m obsessed with the idea of being a character artiste.

You started out in the early 2000s, when there weren’t as many women-centric films being made. Do you think that there is a marked improvement in the situation today?
I think it’s still a struggle to find a film that is genuinely centred around a woman, though it’s getting better with the new breed of directors. The number of films written with men as the central characters is way higher. What hasn’t changed is that then and even now, people enjoy a heroine being a heroine. However, actresses like Vidya Balan and their choices are exemplary. They’re proving that women can hold a film on their shoulders. Also, the internet has opened a new world to all of us. Today, we have access to content from all over the world. There’s also independent cinema, which caters to the thinking mind.

Soon, you will be seen at Cannes. While your bold outfits are often talked about, your detractors say that you get to be on the coveted red carpet without much mainstream work to your credit…
Why not? I go, because I get invited. I had a chance to hobnob with Barack Obama (former US President) and I did. Why shouldn’t I be there? I don’t focus on detractors; what they say doesn’t matter. I focus on the happy and pleasant things in my life. In fact, it’s fun to have detractors and prove them wrong with twice the might. I feel bad when their numbers reduce. I don’t want their number to dwindle. You see, I’m having a ball in my life. My aim was to be financially independent; it was never to win an Oscar. Most women in my home state (Haryana) don’t even get a chance at life. It’s a gilded cage and so, women like me who’ve managed to get out, are asked how we did it. Today, I’m just very happy that I am financially sound. I can pay my bills and afford this lifestyle. It’s a big deal given where I come from. I give myself a lot of credit for that.

You have joined an initiative, which rehabilitates victims of child prostitution and trafficking. Do you think that your growing-up years in Haryana pushed you to support this cause? Also, do you feel that the perception of the state, after producing talents like Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar and a cross-section of women sportspersons, has seen a change?
Children, especially girls, are being forced into prostitution, which leads to several other crimes. This initiative by School For Justice, among other things, educate rescued girls to become lawyers, who can then fight for themselves and other girls who are being trafficked. Merely rescuing girls is a meaningless process. When I was growing up, I had regressive experiences in childhood. I was only allowed to breathe. That’s it! I wasn’t allowed to go out or pursue hobbies. The fact that my parents could educate me is an exemplary feat on their part. I grew up in the middle of a feudal and patriarchal system. Women were subjected to unheard-of cruelties. When I had spoken openly against this, after the release of Murder (2004), it led to a backlash. At least now, we are in a position to have a conversation on these topics. But I still don’t see a campaign like #MeToo happening in India because of the way people think.

But do you think that if women in India stopped competing with one another, they could find a way to initiate a #MeToo campaign?
Powerful people will have to understand that if a woman is raped, it’s not her fault. They must not blame the woman. Sadly, I’ve also seen certain women practise victim-shaming and blaming. The patriarchal mindset needs to change. Having said that, it’s not just women, as a society, we have a tendency to pull each other down. People love pulling me down; they love to see me fall because it makes them feel happy and justified.

Talking about your personal life, you are in a steady relationship. Is marriage on the cards?
I am not interested in marriage. I don’t want to be a bahu, yaar! Why would I forsake the admiration of so many men for one man? It doesn’t make sense. I do have a man in my life and I am in love. The relationship is a very private aspect of my life. I have great companionship and he’s proud of my choices and my approach to life. That’s what matters…