‘I’m a path-breaker; not taking a risk is a bigger risk!’: Mallika Sherawat

‘I’m a path-breaker; not taking a risk is a bigger risk!’: Mallika Sherawat

Famed for her cinematic bravery, risk-addict Mallika Sherawat attempts yet another gamble: A double role in ‘Naagmati’ – a South venture and multi-lingual flick produced by V. Palanivel, set in the period horror thriller genre. Ajit Ramachanddran bags its mahurat magic at Karjat and comes away with reptilian facts from Sherawat and director VC Vadivudaiyan

At ND Studios in Karjat – situated in Maharashtra, India – the heat is on. And is being augmented furiously, effecting an abrupt rise in the Celsius, that strangely has little to do with the climate.
This phenomenon, solely, has to do with a woman in striking pink who’s inspiring a flurry of excitement, apart from a blatant display of attention-seeking antics from the media fussing around her. And unsurprisingly so. After all, she happens to be Mallika Sherawat.

Flesh It Out
As it was Sherawat, channel reporters desirous of sensual eye-candy in their video frames, were probably expecting a teasing display of flesh and some high-voltage sauciness. Ms. Sexerella, however, chose to disappoint severely, showing up fully-covered to the hilt in a traditional pink ensemble that truly left a lot to the imagination.

In Keeping, Truly   
But media-masses should have known better. After all, this wasn’t the Cannes fest ‘red-carpet’ number exactly, wherein being tit-illating is almost mandatory. And in keeping with the sober tone of the event – in this case, the mahurat of her forthcoming flick ‘Naagmati’ – Sherawat showed that she does possess a modicum of sartorial ethics, apart from a lithe body, decent acting skills,tenacity and, confessedly, a stubborn refusal to “compromise” and bluntness that has cost her dearly in moviedom.

Three Cheers! 
For Sherawat, ‘Naagmati’ is a cinematic high on a variety of counts. First off, the genre: period horror thriller, which the actress breathlessly asserts, and so does the Press release, is “radically different”. Secondly, she gets to enact a double role, that of a Queen and Princess - an unexplored deal, as yet. Thirdly, although the movie is christened ‘Naagmati’, Sherawat  isn’t essaying a reptilian delight- she’s neither snake nor snake-woman.

Scribe Time
Having green-lighted the mahurat rituals flawlessly, Sherawat turns her attention to the assortment of journalists all eager to grab their share of comments and canny quotes, and later, clicking beaming selfies with the star that will swiftly find their way onto social media platforms. 
“When I heard the script, I knew I had to do this film,” she says, “Usually, such roles are written for heroes. But I’m glad that times are changing and such roles are being written with women in mind. For me, ‘Naagmati’ is also about women empowerment.”

Stark  Contrast 
In variance to the styled persona of Sherawat, is an individual on the turf who just falls short of scruffy. In a dull grey tee ensemble that is stunningly uninspiring, director VC Vadivudaiyan also boasts of a simplicity that’s endearing, all at once. “Although, the film is called ‘Naagmati’, Mallika who’s playing the double role of a Queen and Princess, is not a snake or snake-woman,” he reveals, “But snakes are integral to the film and an intrinsic part of its storyline. The film will be shot in Mumbai, Rajasthan and South Africa. I’ve chalked out a 110-day schedule for ‘Naagmati’ and I’m sure that I will be able to complete it in record time.”

No Airs, No Fuss?  
The South director who’s lassoed in major success with South horror flicks, making it a mainstay of sorts, declares that Sherawat’s much-touted image of being “difficult” is a far cry from what he encountered.  “I didn’t see any of that,” he avers, “The moment Mallika heard the script, she was on and was extremely co-operative. She’s already begun training for ‘Naagmati’ extensively.”

Two Much?
The onus of essaying a double role is not lost on Sherawat, who candidly admits, “I have to practically shoulder the film. Doing a double role has its positives and negatives. But, I choose to focus on the positive only. I’ve grown up watching films. I’ve watched ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’, double role films of Amitabh Bachchan, I know that to play two characters of the Queen and the Princess, in ‘Naagmati’ is not going to be easy. The Princess has seen less of life, the Queen has seen more of it and wants to protect the Princess. But there are inevitable clashes between the Queen and Princess that occur in the film.”

Action, Ouch!
Given her proclivity for derring –do, both - onscreen and off it - the actress has been all gung-ho over the action bits of ‘Naaagmati.’ “Well, I did action with Jackie Chan and Kamal Haasan in ‘Dasavathaaram’,” she says, “But I really find action films to be too much effort. I prefer romantic comedies, they are easier to film. For this film, I’m learning horse-riding and practically fell off the horse twice! I told the director, that I would do all the sword –fighting scenes myself, and that I would not use a body double. But I don’t think that’s going to work. I think that action films require months and months of preparation, in terms of action sequences.”

Saucy trend-setter
Never mind the truckload of flak she rakes in for her efforts as actor, strong-willed activist and producer, Sherawat professes to be unconcerned. “What do I have to lose?”, she states, “Today, I’m  an economically independent woman living life on my own terms. I’m happy that I was a path-breaker. When I came in to do ‘Khwahish’ and ‘Murder’, I was new from Haryana and told it like it is. My unwillingness to “compromise” and my being blunt had resulted in me being left out of offers that I should have got otherwise. Others compromised and got their way. I didn’t and lost out on so many good films. But I must say that after all these years in the movie business, I have learnt to be less harsh and a little more diplomatic. But I believe in taking risks. Not taking a risk is a bigger risk.”        

Who Will Dare?
At a time when biopics mean Big Business in cinebiz, would Sherawat consider illumining one on her own controversy-ridden life? Almost aghast at the prospect, Sherawat’s tone rises up a few notches swiftly. “Who will dare to write and make a biopic on me,” she demands to know laughingly, “And assuming someone does write it, they will have to show Haryana the way it was at that time. It will be all too stark and too daring. I really don’t think anybody has the guts to show all of that on screen.”
Unless, of course, Sherawat warms up to that challenge too. 

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