The isolation of Mallika Sherawat?

Hers was the most uttered name on the TV show 'Koffee With Karan', even though her name never featured on the guest list. Mallika Sherawat was the sexiest heroine in Bollywood gasped the guests on the show.

But there was a reason for all these utterances. Laughs an insider from Karan's camp: "Don't you get it? It was a standing joke. If they mentioned any other heroine's name the rest would've got upset. Mentioning Mallika was safe.


"She isn't regarded as one of the mainstream heroines. None of the heroes knows her or wants to know her. She's isolated in her plastic ivory tower, queen of all she surveys."

Queen of all she surveys? Why so?

Because at a time when she should have been making friends and influencing box-office trends, Mallika adopted a new role. She tried to become the elusive diva. The press was shunned, old friends were told to keep away, and a 'no trespassing' sign was put up in front of her career.

Result? Mallika virtually had the entire industry guarded if not antagonistic. One faithful director, Govind Menon, continued to favour her after Khwahish. He made two more comedies with Mallika in the lead.

Menon's Kis Kis Ki Kismat in 2004 and Bachke Rehna Re Baba this year may have just finished Mallika's hot-hot career in Bollywood.

No one wants to touch her and add to that, Bachke Rehna Re Baba has failed miserably at the box-office.

Recently an enterprising filmmaker offered Mallika an item song in his film. "I will do it if there is a meaty role attached," Mallika is understood to have said.

The filmmaker went for another actress.

Farhan Akhtar very seriously thought of casting her in Helen's role in "Don". A thought now gone. Official reason: Mallika can't dance.

So what can she do besides make sensational headlines and shocking controversies? "She has no career, no charm, no sex appeal. It's all in her mind," a young filmmaker said.

Raj Kumar Santoshi had promised to produce a film with Mallika in the lead. It's nowhere to be seen.

So where does Mallika go from here? Hollywood? "The Myth", the Jackie Chan movie that she's hunky dory about, has her along with several other leading ladies.

The news that she had been approached by Tom Cruise's agent to look after her career seems to have come and gone.

If these reprots are indeed true, forget of being a great Bollywood diva, it seems like Mallika has just killed her own career.