Mallika Sherawat on how she is successfully juggling the two worlds of Bollywood and Hollywood After being in Los Angeles for a long time,are you happy to be back home? It feels great to be back. I got such a warm reception at the airport. The media was there. My friends and my brother came to receive me. What have you been up to in Mumbai? I caught up with some of my friends. Apart from that I have been very busy with the shoot of Double Dhamaal and also promotions for Hisss. A film of mine is releasing after a long time,so I am very excited. Hisss is a very experimental film of our times. What convinced you to play a daring snake woman? Who would give up the chance of playing an ichchadari naagin? It is very rare that you get the chance to portray the role of an animal. Here I am playing a snake with infrared vision who swallows her victims. While studying for my character I also discovered that snakes have a180-degree vision. It was fun playing a snake. A snake woman is a very Indian concept. Do you feel American director Jennifer Lynch got her research right? She was excited about this popular Indian legend and during her research she discovered that this legend is even popular in the far east. It was just wonderful to see an American director make a Bollywood masala film with the naagin,sapera,a Holi sequence and many things Indian. But the West is looking at the naagin as a superhero with mystical powers. Was Hisss a lot more demanding as compared to the other roles you have played so far? In my previous films,I had to kiss but they were all humans. Here,I was kissing a snake with Jennifer yelling out to me,Mallika,look passionate,you are the naagin. There were so many retakes and the snake was rubbery,slimy (laughs). This film was a physical torture. We were shooting in Thekkady,Kerala,where it was raining. I was in the mud with leeches crawling over me. For a moment I wondered what I had got into. But when I saw the outcome it was all worth it. You have signed another movie in Hollywood. Tell us about it. I am doing a romantic comedy called Love,Barack. It is the love story of two people who are members of opposing political parties. Although set in LA,every Indian would be able to relate to it. The release is next year. Is Hollywood more appealing to you now? As an actor I will work where a good script comes from. Great cinema is coming out of countries like South Korea and Mexico. So if they offer me a film,I will do it. For now,Hollywood is showing me a lot of love. Was it The Myth that paved the path for you? Of course. Without Jackie Chans support it would not have been possible. In 2006,I went to Cannes with him. This time at Cannes my date was a 15-foot python. But then how did you sustain in the West? It is not impossible if you put your mind to it. The thing started from Bollywood itself where I constantly made an effort to not do wallflower roles. In Hollywood too I kept the same mindset. After all those overseas achievements,what prompted you to take up Double Dhamaal? It has a fun script. During the narration,I couldnt stop laughing. I also hadnt done a fun film since Welcome. What is home now,Mumbai or LA? I have become bi-continental. Home is LA and Mumbai. I am enjoying the phase. Bollywood is so seeped into my blood,so I cant take it out. I would say from kissing to hissing,I have come a long way. FOREIGN AFFAIRS Johnny Depp: Met him at an art gallery opening. He is charming and soft-spoken. Shirley MacLaine: Spent some time together in LA and she gave me great pointers about Hollywood. Sharon Stone: Met at a charity function for Operation Smile. She is beautiful,witty and down-to-earth. Quentin Tarantino: Met him on the red carpet for his film Inglorious Basterds. We have a number of mutual friends. Bill Clinton: Most charming man I have ever met. He was very appreciative of Hisss and supportive of Love,Barack. Ban Ki-moon: He inspired me to campaign for the cause of the girl child.
