Her role in Dirty Politics is based on Bhanwari Devi

Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 25, 2012)

Om Puri, while filming an item song with Mallika Sherawat in Bin Bulaye Baraati, had said, “Contrary to her image she is so decent, she should be called Mallika Sharaafat.” The actor had also expressed his wish to work with the actress ‘at length’. And now his prayers have been answered. Mirror learnt that Mallika has been cast opposite Puri in KC Bokadia’s Dirty Politics, a film based on the alleged murder of Bhanwari Devi by a politician from Rajasthan.

While Om plays the politician, Mallika is cast as the temptress who seduces the politician and then gets sucked into a murky political game culminating in her murder.

Apparently the actress was Bokadia’s first choice for the role. But the remuneration played the villain.

According to a source close to the project, “Mallika quoted a fee that was way too high for Bokadia’s budget. Every actor in the film from Om Puri to Jackie Shroff and Atul Kulkarni is working at a subsidised rate. But Mallika wouldn’t budge on her price. Finally Bokadia did something really smart. He sent Mallika 20 mins of the shot footage.”

The footage bowled her over. She apparently agreed to compromise on her price.

Producer-director Bokadia confirmed Mallika’s presence in the film and added, “I did have some problems in convincing her . But she has finally agreed. Because her role is very powerful. Mallika plays a Rajasthani street dancer whose murder triggers off a high-level investigation.”

The nurse’s character was changed to that of a street dancer to apparently accommodate Mallika’s oomph quotient into the plot. “I’m giving her three potential chartbusters composed by Sanjeev-Darshan to dance to. One of the songs Mere ghagre ne ghamaasan kiya would set the screen on fire.”

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