Mallika Sherawat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mallika Sherawat
Sherawat at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival
Born	Reema Lamba (1976-10-24) 24 October 1976 (age 48) Moth, Hisar, Haryana, India
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2002–present
Spouse(s)	Karan Singh Gill ​ ​ (m. 1997, divorced)​

Reema Lamba (born 24 October 1976), known better as Mallika Sherawat, is an Indian actress. She mostly acts in Hindi language films. Mallika is famous for her strong and confident roles in movies like Khwahish (2003) and Murder (2004). She has become a well-known name in Bollywood. She is also known for appearing in popular dance songs called item numbers in films.

Mallika Sherawat's role in the romantic comedy Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006) was liked by many. After that, she starred in Aap Ka Suroor and Welcome (both 2007). Her film Dasavathaaram (2008) was her biggest success. She also appeared in Double Dhamaal (2011). Besides Indian films, she has acted in Chinese films like The Myth (2005) and Time Raiders (2016). She was one of the few Bollywood stars who tried to act in Hollywood movies, such as Hisss (2010) and Politics of Love (2011).

Early life

Mallika Sherawat was born as Reema Lamba in Moth, a small village in the Hisar district of Haryana, India. She comes from a Jat family. Her father's name is Mukesh Kumar Lamba. She is related to Seth Chhaju Ram, a famous philanthropist (someone who gives money to good causes).

She chose the screen name "Mallika," which means "empress," to avoid being confused with other actresses named Reema. "Sherawat" is her mother's family name. She has said that she uses her mother's name because her mother supported her a lot.

Mallika went to Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. She studied philosophy at Miranda House, which is part of Delhi University.

Career

Before becoming an actress, Mallika Sherawat appeared in TV commercials. She worked with famous actors like Amitabh Bachchan for BPL and Shah Rukh Khan for Hyundai Santro. She also appeared in music videos for "Maar Dala" by Nirmal Pandey and "Lak Tunoo" by Surjit Bindrakhia. Her first small role in a film was in Jeena Sirf Merre Liye. In that movie, she was known as Reema Lamba.

Mallika gained attention with her role in the 2003 film Khwahish. In 2004, she starred in Murder. This film was inspired by the Hollywood movie Unfaithful. She was nominated for 'Best Actress' at the Zee Cine Awards for her acting in Murder. The movie became one of the biggest hits of that year.

Sherawat at the White House Correspondents Dinner

Since then, Mallika Sherawat has been known for speaking her mind in public. In 2005, she acted in The Myth, a Chinese film with Jackie Chan. She played an Indian girl who saves Jackie Chan's character from a river. The Myth was her first international movie. Her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival to promote the film got a lot of attention. Time magazine's Richard Corliss even called her "the next big thing."

Her acting in the 2006 film Pyaar Ke Side Effects, with Rahul Bose, earned her praise. Critics said she was very charming. The film did quite well at the box office.

In 2007, she appeared in Mani Ratnam's Guru, where she performed the song "Mayya Mayya." She also had a special role in Himesh Reshammiya's Aap Ka Suroor - The Real Love Story. Her last film of 2007 was Welcome, which was very successful.

Her films in 2008 included Ugly Aur Pagli and Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam. Mallika's next Bollywood film was Double Dhamaal, which was a moderate success. She also appeared in special dance songs (item numbers) in films like Thank You, Bin Bulaye Baraati, Osthe (a Tamil film), and Tezz. In 2012, she also acted in Kismat Love Paisa Dilli.

Mallika Sherawat with Mahesh Bhatt, 2007

On 23 October 2013, Mallika starred in a reality dating show called Bachelorette India - Mere Khayalon ki Mallika. This show was based on the American show The Bachelorette, where she looked for a partner.

In 2009, Sherawat starred in a Hollywood film called Hisss. She acted alongside Irrfan Khan, and the movie was directed by Jennifer Lynch. The story was based on the legend of Nāga (a mythical snake creature). Mallika promoted the film with live snakes at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. Hisss was released in many Indian languages on 22 October 2010.

Mallika Sherawat also starred in another Hollywood film, Politics of Love, also known as Love, Barack. It was directed by William Dear. She played Aretha Gupta, a dedicated volunteer for Barack Obama's election campaign. This film was a romantic comedy set during Obama's run for the US presidency.

Mallika won the 2008 Renaissance Artist Award at the 16th Annual Diversity Awards in California. On 14 August 2009, she received honorary citizenship of Los Angeles. This was to recognize her achievements in her career and her charity work.

In 2012, Mallika Sherawat appeared with American pop star Bruno Mars in a funny video. It was a parody of Salt-n-Pepa's song "Whatta Man" for the comedy website Funny or Die.

Personal life

Mallika Sherawat was married to Karan Singh Gill, a pilot from Delhi, in 1997. She later divorced him. She kept her marriage private early in her career. She dated French real estate agent Cyrille Auxenfans in 2017.

Mallika Sherawat is a vegan, meaning she does not eat any animal products.

Activism

Mallika Sherawat has been involved in women's rights activism. She talked about issues affecting women at the 65th United Nations DPI/NGO Conference in 2014. During the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Mallika Sherawat supported the Free A Girl India NGO (a non-profit organization). She even had herself locked in a cage for twelve hours to show her support.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Mallika Sherawat para niños

• List of Hindi film actresses