The Y2K years were a time of big change for the Indian film industry. We were finally getting over our shy ‘two-doves-kissing-suggestively’ phase and getting real about sex and sensuality on the big screen. From Jism to Murder, we saw quite a few movies that changed the narrative. But while Bollywood got its facelift, a lot was sacrificed as well. The actors who starred in these movies were typecast and are still addressed with derogatory and titillating labels. Mallika Sherawat is one such actress who has finally opened up about the unfair treatment meted out to her.
The actress is all set to return to the big screen this year with her upcoming film RK/RKay and opened up about how she was vilified for years. During a media interaction, Mallika recollected how a section of the industry kept focussing on her body and glamourous image while no heed was paid to her acting skills. This is when she compared her 2004 film Murder with Deepika Padukone’s Gehraiyaan to bring out the stark difference in the reception that both these films got.
“Such hue and cry were created when I did Murder. People said all kinds of things about the kiss and the bikini. What Deepika Padukone did in Gehraiyaan, I did that 15 years ago, but people were too narrow-minded back then. I should tell you that a section of the industry and media was mentally torturing me. These people only talked about my body and glamour, not my acting. I worked in Dasavatharam, Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Welcome, but none talked about my acting,” Mallika said.
However, Mallika does not look at it from a point of envy and is rather happy that we have come to a point where women characters are allowed to be real people. She is glad that the actresses now are not reduced to black and white stereotypes anymore. Mallika adds, “Earlier, the heroines were either too good, sati-savitri types who were too innocent to know anything, or they were the characterless vamps. These were the only two types of roles written for heroines. The change that we see now, shows women as humans. She can be happy or sad. She can make mistakes, she can falter, and you love them despite all of that. The heroines are more confident about their bodies as well.”
Well, Mallika makes a really strong point here and we hope that people are able to see her in a new light in Rk/RKay!
Featured Image: Instagram
