The glamorous Mallika Sherawat is known for her bold movie roles.
Did you know she ran away from home to pursue her acting dreams? It was quite the filmi journey for her… fights with family and facing threats of being disowned!
Now, Murder actress’s birth name is Reema Lamba. But she had changed it to Mallika Sherawat as an act of rebellion against her father, who disapproved of her acting ambitions.
In conversation with Bollywood Bubble, Mallika had revealed the full story behind the name change – “It was my rebellion against patriarchy because my father said, ‘Ye filmo mein jayegi, parivaar ka naam kharab karegi, main tereko disown karta hoon (She will enter the film industry and ruin the family name, I disown you.’)
Maine kaha, ‘Main tumhara naam hi disown karti hoon. Tum kya mujhe disown karoge (I told him that I disown your name). Yes, you’re my dad, I respect you, I love you, main apni maa ka naam use karungi (But I’ll use my mother’s name).’ So I used Sherawat, it’s my mother’s name.”
The actress had also divulged how the emotional struggle overwhelmed her financial troubles in the initial days –
“I always had money, because I had a lot of jewellery, which I sold and financed my trip to Mumbai, but, more than that it was emotional distress for me. My drama with the family and my father disapproving and saying that I disown you. And my mother being heartbroken. There was a rift in the family. That caused a lot of heartbreak for me.”
Kudos to Mallika for making it on her own terms! On the work front, she will soon be seen in MX Player’s thriller web series Nakaab – streaming from September 15, 2021. It also stars Esha Gupta and Gautam Rode.
Mallika will be playing a power-hungry producer in Nakaab.
