Celebs who’ve been outspoken about their opinions and felt comfortable in their own bodies have often rubbed some people the wrong way. Actress Mallika Sherawat complains of precisely this, as HT reports her saying, “There was a lot of judgement, that ‘she has no morals’, ‘she is a fallen woman’, ‘look at the kinds of scenes she does, she wears a bikini, kisses on screen’.
Talking about her humble beginnings, Republic World reports her saying, “I faced a lot of opposition from my family. I battled patriarchy. My father is extremely conservative. My mother also, my brother also. I had no support at all. I was so naive and innocent. I said, ‘main toh bhag ke Aise ban jaungi actress’. Aur mein actually bhag gayi ghar se.”
She explains the reason why she reportedly changed her name from Reema Lamba to Mallika Sherawat, “My father said, ‘Ye filmo mein jayegi, parivaar ka naam kharab karegi, main tereko disown karta hoon. Maine kaha, ‘Main tumhara naam hi disown karti hoon. Tum kya mujhe disown karoge. Yes, you’re my dad, I respect you, I love you, main apni maa ka naam use karungi.”
Mallika reveals that during her initial days of struggle, she financed her stay in Mumbai by selling her jewelry.
“I always had money, because I had a lot of jewellery, which I sold and financed my trip to Mumbai, but, more than that it was emotional distress for me. My drama with the family and my father disapproving and my mother being heartbroken. There was a rift in the family. That caused a lot of heartbreak for me,” she said, reports Bollywood Bubble.
She adds, “But it’s all a part of the experience, and I’m really happy that there has been a lot of growth in society. People have become more tolerant.”
Mallika maintains that ‘men have never had problems with’ her, “A certain section of the media was very… They bullied me and harassed me. And that really bothered me, because… And most of them were women. Men have never had problems with me. Men have always appreciated me.
She speaks of why she left the country in the first place, “I couldn’t understand why the women are so against me, and so nasty to me. And that made me leave the country for a while because I wanted a break. But today they are more accepting of me, and they are more loving, which I’m really enjoying.”
What do you think of her journey? Tell us.