Mallika Sherawat says she was ‘almost morally assassinated’ for Murder: ‘Was seen as a fallen woman’

Mallika Sherawat said that aspersions were cast on her character after she did bold scenes in Murder. She added that she was ‘seen as a fallen woman’.

Mallika Sherawat talked about the backlash she faced for her bold scenes in Murder and how she was ‘almost morally assassinated’. She said that the audience’s perception of actors has now changed.

Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi in Murder.

In 2003, Mallika made her debut in a leading role with Khwahish. The following year, she starred in Murder. Both films were known for their bold scenes and established her as a sex symbol.

Speaking with a leading daily, Mallika said, “When I acted in Murder (2004), I was almost morally assassinated for those scenes I shot; I was seen as a fallen woman. Today, those things I did back then are common in our films. People’s perceptions have changed. Our cinema has changed.”

“But even now, when I think of it, nothing beats the cinema of the 50s and 60s. We had wonderful roles for women, but we lack that beauty in our films in a big way. I have waited for years to get a role that has substance,” she added.

Directed by Anurag Basu, Murder featured Mallika as Simran, a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage with a workaholic man, Sudhir, played by Ashmit Patel. After a chance meeting with her former lover, Sunny (Emraan Hashmi), she starts an affair with him. She ends the relationship after being overwhelmed with guilt, but he is determined to get her back at any cost.

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Mallika also acted in films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects, Aap Ka Suroor, Welcome and Double Dhamaal. She has been a part of international projects including Jackie Chan-starrer The Myth, Politics of Love and Time Raiders.

In 2019, Mallika made her digital debut with the ALTBalaji series Booo Sabki Phategi, alongside Tusshar Kapoor. She played a ghost in the web series, also featuring Krushna Abhishek, Sanjay Mishra, Kiku Sharda and Shefali Jariwala.