Mallika Sherawat reflects on Murder backlash: 'People thought if Mallika can do bold scenes, what's the problem in coming with us'

Mallika Sherawat recently opened up about the intense judgment she faced following the release of her breakout film, Murder, in 2004. During an appearance on Ranveer Allahbadia's show, she discussed the public outrage over the film's racy content, recalling how she was shamed on national television and faced hostility, including having her effigies burned.
Reflecting on a particular incident, Mallika recounted visiting a news channel with Mahesh Bhatt for an interview about Murder. She recalled, “I went to a news channel with Bhatt saab during Murder, and the news anchor started reciting the lyrics of the song to me. He focused on certain words and asked me, ‘Sharam nahi aayi (Didn’t you feel ashamed)?’ Directly! I told him, ‘No, I didn’t feel ashamed. In fact, I had a blast.’ He was shocked at how a girl can speak to him like that. I was very open about it. I said, ‘We have used erotica for box office. What’s box office? Stimulation, right? And we’re still talking about Murder, even 20 years later. Imagine the impact that the movie has had.’”
Discussing the societal challenges women face, Mallika talked about how patriarchal cultures often control women through shame. She noted, “Women are controlled through shame. It serves the patriarchal culture to control women through shame. But I feel now, it’s becoming less. Women are becoming more open. As compared to 2004, definitely. They burnt my effigies after Murder. Society at the time wasn’t prepared for either me or Murder.”

Mallika also talked about the negative impact of her role in real life. “One negative thing was that people thought that if Mallika can do such bold scenes on screen, then what's the problem in coming with us? I didn't understand that your life on screen and your personal life are two completely different things. What I'm doing on screen is not what I'm doing in my real life also. So I had to face this a lot. This was a big, big hurdle for me,” she said.

Currently, Mallika is seen playing a supporting role in the comedy Vicky Vidya Ka Voh Wala Video, which stars Rajkummar Rao, Triptii Dimri, and Vijay Raaz. Despite opening to poor reviews, the film earned over Rs 5 crore at the box office on its first day of release.