Mallika courts the press again

  • IndiaGlitz, [Friday,October 01 2004]

Post-"Murder", Mallika Sherawat is ready to make a splash with a comic caper called "Kiss Kiss Ki Kismet".

Having been completely off press after "Murder", she's all set to give a series of interviews to promote her new film before she zips off to Hampi to shoot with Jackie Chan for a role that was reportedly declined by half the heroines in the film industry.

Mallika of course doesn't believe that. She believes that she's a major star in Bollywood and that every leading filmmaker is pining to work with her.

But, says a leading filmmaker: "Mallika Sherawat? Please! No way would I want to work with her. Of course, she's a fine actress and I'm sure she has her fan following. But she doesn't suit my purposes at all."

Mallika claims to be turning down roles every day. But she doesn't seem to have any major films on hand.

As for her new release, "Kiss Kiss Ki Kismat", it's directed by Govind Menon who directed her in the infamous "Khwahish", a frame by frame, word by word, item by item remake of Arthur Miller's "Love Story", where Mallika spoke glibly about sex and condoms and kissed her co-star many times.

Now she's doing yet another comedy with Menon, with Rekha as her co-star. "Kiss Kiss Ki Kismat" is being promoted as a film featuring the two "hot-blooded Jats" - Dharmendra and Mallika. But the yesteryear superstar actually plays her boyfriend's father in the film.

Wrong publicity kills. Ask the makers of three recent films - "Fida", "Madhoshi" and "Rakht". All three were promoted as erotic thrillers when in fact they had little erotic content.

Many people feel, "Fida", with its right blend of slick direction, catchy music and glamorous stars would have performed much better at the box office if it hadn't been projected incorrectly.

"Kiss Kiss Ki Kismat" may also be a victim of misleading publicity.