Mallika Sherawat became a sensation after her unconventional film choices in the early 2000s. Back in those days, films like Khwahish and Murder were often spoken about for their ‘bold scenes’ and Mallika became the face of this new wave in Hindi cinema. While she made some fearless choices, she also had to face some unpleasant situations in real life that came as a consequence because of her choices in her career.

The actor recently opened up about this phase of her career and said that many contemporary female actors were “condescending” to her face. In an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, when she was asked about how her peers treated her, Mallika said, “They were very condescending to me on my face. There are a few very big actresses, whose name I won’t take, but they were all condescending to me on my face. I went crying to Mahesh Bhatt because he was my mentor.”

Mallika then shared that they would say really nasty things to her and recalled, “They would say, ‘So many sl*ts in Bollywood, one more’.” She added, “There was a lot of sl*t-shaming. They wanted me to feel ashamed of myself and the bold scenes I did. In a way, they wanted me to feel ashamed of the success of Murder.”

Mallika then shared that even though Murder had given her a significant push in Bollywood, the industry insiders looked at her like an “object.” “One of the negative things happened to me after all this is that men thought, ‘If she can do such bold scenes on-screen, why will she object to come with us?’ I had to deal with this a lot. People forget that your personal life and professional life are two different things. It was a big hurdle for me and it still is,” she said.

ALSO READ | Alia Bhatt says mother-in-law Neetu Kapoor and her have developed a ‘natural, organic friendship’, opens up about their Paris trip: ‘Felt like I was back in school’

Previously, in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actress claimed top actors refused to work with her because she didn’t compromise. She said, “Sit, stand, anything. If the hero calls you at 3am and says, ‘Come to my house’, you have to go, if you are in that circle and if you are doing that film. If you don’t go, then you are out of the film.” She added, “It’s very simple — they like actresses who they can control and who will compromise with them. My personality isn’t that. I didn’t want to subject myself to someone’s whims and fancies.”

Mallika recently made her Bollywood comeback with Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri’s Vicky Aur Vidya Ki Woh Wali Video.

Click for more updates and latest Bollywood news along with Entertainment updates. Also get latest news and top headlines from India and around the world at The Indian Express.