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Mallika Sherawat, who was very excited about working in Kundan Shah’s film Masquerade, walked out of the film. Touted as one of the most challenging projects of her career, she quit because she had irrevocable creative differences with the director.

Post Mallika’s exit, the producers of the film, The Indian Film Company (TV 18) have also opted out.

Our source says, “Mallika was on a high ever since she heard the script of Kundan Shah’s film. It was indisputably the best role of her career where she was to play a prostitute-turned-politician. She had even agreed to use the typical UP language, laced with colourful epithets. However, in the course of her rehearsals she had serious problems with the director over creative issues.”

He adds, “Mallika was upset because Kundan Shah was adamant about not changing his technical crew. A lot of creative differences cropped up during the shooting of the film and Mallika, who is used to getting her own way, walked out of the film.”

When contacted, Kundan Shah confirmed that Mallika was no longer part of his film. However, he refused to give details as to why Mallika is no longer part of his film. He says “I do not wish to comment on this.”

When quizzed on the issue, an official spokesman of the production house, The Indian Film Company says, “Yes, it is true that Mallika is no longer doing the film. As for us, we have not yet decided whether we will go ahead with the project or not.”

Mallika Sherawat remained unavailable for comment.

Mallika Sherawat‘s newfound status has gone to her head. After insisting on wearing the burqa everywhere, to avoid being mobbed, she now chooses to have her hair styled inside the pantry of stylist Dilshad’s salon.

The reason for this change of venue seems somewhat unclear though. Our source says that she insists on styling her hair inside the pantry as she is uncomfortable with the hype that is generated every time she visits the salon. So that Madame M has her privacy while her tresses are trimmed, Dilshad conducts her styling sessions in the pantry.

Dilshad adds, “Yes, we style her hair inside the pantry. It is only to avoid the crowd that is a usual scene at our salon… Mallika’s presence generally puts everyone in a tizzy. When Shah Rukh Khan or Preity Zinta come to the salon, people do check them out too, but with Mallika it is something else. Men and women alike stare at her. However, as a person she is very chilled out, and I wish there were more celeb customers like her.”

Just when we were wondering where the Quotable Queen had disappeared, and the gossip was that Mallika Sherawat hardly had many films in her kitty, comes interesting news. The buzz is that she has no less than 62 scripts on hand but is deliber ately going slow. Reveals a source, “Mallika doesn’t want to take up any and all films that are offered to her. She’s busy with Unveiled which will begin soon and she’s doing Fauj Mein Mauj.

Then there’s Welcome with Anil Kapoor which is complete. Besides these, she hasn’t signed on the dotted line for any filmmaker.” Apparently, Mallika has burnt her fingers earlier by selecting bad scripts such as Kis Kis Ki Kismet and Bachke Rehna Re Baba, and she’s become quite wary about committing the same mistakes again. After being part of such a good script as Pyaar Ke Side Effects, Mallika has tasted blood and she refuses to meet anybody who doesn’t have a sound script. “Today, with more and more filmmakers coming up with innovative ideas, opportunities are looking everyone is the face. Especially for someone like Mallika whom everyone wants to work with,” reveals the source. Also, with the actress making enough money through her item numbers (remember Aap Ka Surroor and Guru?), the moolah is not exactly a criteria for her selecting films right now, it seems.

For all those who care to look beyond Mallika Sherawat‘s bosom, news is that the actress is turning a businesswoman. She is all set to start a production house with her brother Vikram very soon. If she chooses to produce the kind of films she acts in, other production houses will have to shut shop soon!

Apparently, Mallika has wanted to start a production company for quite some time and now finally, the idea is crystallising. The name of the film will be Blue Velvet and the actress is currently busy finalising scripts for her company.

A source informs, “Mallika has launched her banner Blue Velvet and is currently reading piles of scripts that she has received. She intends to support projects that she believes in. Many filmmakers have dropped their scripts at her office and from what we hear, upto 50 scripts are being scanned right now. Her brother Vikram will be looking at the financial aspects of the firm.”

The source further adds, “It is quite likely that Mallika will start her production house by backing the stuck film Fauj Mein Mauj which is directed by Murli Nagavalli, who has been an assistant to Priyadarshan earlier. The film has Mallika Sherawat playing a female cadet in the Indian army. The film also stars Sahil Khan, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav.”

However, Ravi Walia the producer of Fauj Mein Mauj denied it, saying, “There is no truth in it. My film is being solely produced by me and I have no clue if Mallika is turning a producer or anything.”

She may be lying low right now, but Mallika Sherawat isn’t idle. Even though the actress hasn’t had a release as a lead actress for some time now, she’s definitely got a broad grin on her face. Considering that she’s done two ‘hot’ item numbers in two of the year’s biggest films. While the Abhishek Bachchan-starrer Guru has gone on to become one of the biggest grosser this year, Himesh Reshammiya’s Aap Ka Surroor too received a great opening at the box office. And Mallika has managed to impress one and all with her songs in these films. Now if you have producers making a beeline for you with item number offers, Mallika, blame it on success!

Ever since Mallika Sherawat stepped out of the Bhatt camp and took up films with outside banners, there have been stories circulating about the ‘strained’ relationship between the quote queen and mentor Mahesh Bhatt. But looks like that’s a thing of the past now. An insider informs us that Mallika never really rebelled and that she has always had a great affection for Mahesh Bhatt. “In fact, she never tires of expressing this to her friends,” says the source. What’s more, we hear even Mahesh Bhatt can’t stop praising the actress these days. He insists that though there have been many actresses who have started their careers with him, Mallika is the smartest of the lot. “That’s because whatever you tell her, she takes it down and digests it. She first understands what she doesn’t know – so that she can learn more,” he was overhead saying about the Sherawat babe. Hmmm… now we wonder if we’ll be seeing a sequel to Murder soon?

On Bollywood‘s lack of reality
Bollywood is yet to make realistic films depicting the harsh realities of life, the way life is every day. For example, kissing is still not very open in Bollywood but it’s part of our lives and it’s something very natural.

Also, we need to be very quality conscious, we need to make more quality films and I would want more female-centred roles, more films centred around a woman. That I think is lacking here.

On kissing in films
In some of the films when you’re kissing, instead of the kiss they’ll show birds flying, thunderstorms happening…But it’s changing now. I’m so glad new filmmakers are writing realistic scripts and I’m so glad my last film ‘Pyar Ke Side Effects’ was very honest and people liked it – it was a huge hit which shows a changing trend completely.

On her new Hollywood venture
I’ve just signed an American film called ‘Unveiled’ which is to be directed by Clint Eastwood’s Associate Director Bill Bannerman. It’s a movie which is like ‘A Million Dollar Baby’ or ‘Monster’, where the central character is a woman. It’s quite significant for me because, although ‘The Myth’ with Jackie Chan took me to the Cannes Festival and gave me a lot of exposure, there wasn’t a lot of acting required, it was more like being a Bond girl, an Asian Bond, run around and a few screams but this is going to be my major acting role where its going to be completely deglamourized and completely going to get under the skin of the character.

On being influenced by Charlize and Salma
It gives me great joy that I am independent and I am doing the kind of cinema that I want to do. I admire Charlize Theron, I admire Salma Hayek. I want to do cinema like that and I’ve taken baby steps towards it – that’s what’s so exciting!

Mallika Sherawat is all set to break a record she had held on to for quite long-that of never repeating her leading men! In keeping with the sequel fever and the success of the Saket Chaudhary directorial ‘Pyar Ke Side Effects’ (Rahul Bose-Mallika starrer), Pritish Nandy Communications has decided to make the sequel ‘Shaadi ke Side Effects’. The film is in the scripting stages and is scheduled to go on the floors within three months.

But the question being considered was whether Mallika, who is known never to repeat her heroes, would agree to act in the movie.

However, producer Pritish Nandy affirms, “Of course the film will have both Rahul and Mallika. She will break her record for this film.” Rahul believes that the sequel could even do better than the original. “From what Saket has told me this should be a better film than the earlier one. But my agreeing to be a part of the film would strictly depend on the script. I might pull out of the project if I think the script isn’t up to it,” says Rahul.

It may be mentioned that Rahul has acted with co-star Konkona Sen Sharma in more than one film-’15 Park Avenue’ and ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’. His latest film ‘Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii’ has just released. Mallika was unavailable for comments.

She’s Bollywood‘s uncrowned controversy queen, and she knows which way her bread is buttered, says the know-it-all lot. But Mallika Sherawat surprises everyone every time. Be it her Hollywood films or her item numbers, or even her short appearances at shows, this girl makes her own rules. But we couldn’t help wondering if the actress didn’t have a split personality because of the drastically different news-items floating around about her. On the one hand, you have her quoting fantastic figures for a few-minutes appearances in films or shows, besides of course, for her role in Himesh Reshammiya’s film. The actress is said to have raked in the moolah there.

And then you have the story that she has actually declined to take even a penny for an entire film! “Yes, like in the case of Pritish Nandy’s Pyar Ke Side Effects,” informs our source. “Mallika liked the script so much that she refused to accept any payment for the role. She thoroughly enjoyed shooting the film and working with Rahul Bose.” However, producer Pritish actually sent her a share of the profits since the film did well at the box-office. With Mallika, every situation is a win-win situation, right?