Mallika Sherawat worked with Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar in the 2007 film Welcome. In the movie, Mallika's character was loved by both Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar's characters. It seems that their on-screen romantic rivalry set the bar for their real-life equation as well. In an interview, the actress revealed that the two stars kept fighting for her attention on set. “I had a blast shooting for Welcome, both Anil and Nana were fighting over me for real. They were trying to get my attention; imagine how important I felt! They are brilliant human beings and have amazing energies as actors,” said Mallika Sherawat, in a chat with Ranveer Allahbadia.
When asked if the cast expected the film to do well and achieve the iconic status it has reached today, Mallika Sherawat answered, “We were shooting in Dubai, it was so hot that our makeup would keep melting, so no one was bothered thinking about the film's fate. We all just wished to pack up soon and go back home.”
Welcome is directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by Firoz Nadiadwala. The movie also features Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Paresh Rawal. The plot revolves around two crime lords, Majnu Bhai (Anil Kapoor) and Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar), who are keen to get Uday's sister married, Sanjana (Katrina Kaif), into a decent family.
During the same interaction, Mallika Sherawat also revealed that she faced severe backlash for her role in the 2004 film Murder. The actress said, “The culture wasn't ready for me back then, and it wasn't ready for Murder either. Only now has Bollywood caught up to where I was in 2004.”
She added, “At that time, actresses were expected to follow a certain code of conduct. They were shy, while I was unapologetic. With Murder, a femme fatale was introduced.”
Mallika Sherawat shared that instead of getting support from the Bollywood fraternity, she was harshly judged by her peers. “There are some big-name actresses in Bollywood whose names I won't take, but they were condescending to my face. There was so much slut-shaming. They wanted to make me feel ashamed of the bold scenes I did,” said the actress.
