After nearly two years in Hollywood, Mallika Sherawat has come back in Bollywood. The actor has started shooting for Ashok Thakeria and Indra Kumar’s Double Dhamaal (the sequel to the duo’s hit Dhamaal) in Pune. And guess what she was wearing in her first shot? A bikini, of course!

Is it the return of the sex symbol? Thakeria, who’s co-producing the film with Reliance Big Pictures laughs, “Mallika is paired with Sanjay Dutt and the first scene was by a pool in their house. Since she steps out of the water to chat with him, a bikini was the most appropriate attire.”

He adds that the actor had no hang-ups about her costume and was a livewire on the sets.

Wasn’t Bipasha Basu considered for the same role? Thakeria concedes that Kumar and he had been thinking of various options but eventually decided that Mallika was the best choice.

“Indu (Indra Kumar) spoke to her on the phone and she was really excited, doubly so after she heard the script,” adds Thakeria. Kangna Ranaut who’s paired with Riteish Deshmukh, and Sherawat have hit it off well. The actor also chats up other co-stars, including Arshad Warsi, Aashish Chowdhry and Jaaved Jaffery, during breaks.

“The five guys have worked together in Dhamaal but with the girls entering the picture now, they’re really having a blast. They pull each other’s legs. There are no ego hassles or temper tantrums. It’s one big family here,” Thakeria beams. He insists that Sherawat hadn’t lost touch with Bollywood during her stay in Los Angeles: “She used to watch Hindi movies and kept herself updated on that was happening in the Mumbai through her friends.”