Mallika Sherawat: Mahesh Bhatt saw my fire even before I did

Mumbai, Sep 20
On Mahesh Bhatt’s 77th birthday, actress Mallika Sherawat penned a note for the filmmaker and heaped praise on him by saying that he saw the fire even before she did.

Mallika, who worked with the filmmaker in the 2004 erotic thriller “Murder”, took to Instagram stories, where she shared a picture with Mahesh.

“Forever grateful to my mentor Mahesh Bhatt, the one who saw my fire even before I did, who taught me that truth and courage are worth more than perfection,” she wrote.

Murder, directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt. It is the first installment in the Murder film series. Based on the 2002 American film Unfaithful, which was itself inspired by the 1969 French film The Unfaithful Wife, it also stars Emraan Hashmi and Ashmit Patel.

The film was remade in Kannada as Ganda Hendathi. It had a cult following upon release and began a film series, which continued with Murder 2 in 2011 and Murder 3 in 2013.

Mahesh is the son of director Nanabhai Bhatt, he went on to become one of the most recognized directors of the Indian film industry in the next decade, giving both art-house works such as Daddy and Swayam.

He also made commercial romantic hits, such as Aashiqui and Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin.

The father of Alia Bhatt next directed Sadak in 1991. He went on to produce movies such as Gumraah, Sir, Criminal, Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, Tamanna, Zakhm, Raaz, Jism, Gangster, Jannat, Woh Lamhe and Aashiqui 2.

Mallika, who was last seen on screen in “Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video” starring Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri, stepped into cinema in 2002 with the film “Jeena Sirf Merre Liye”, where she was credited as Reema Lamba. Her journey to stardom began in 2000, when she got the title of a sex symbol courtesy her performance in the Emraan Hashmi-starrer "Murder," a 2004 romantic thriller.

The actress was then seen in the West with movies such as “Hisss” and “Politics of Love”.

Her credits also include movies including “Khwahish”, “Bachke Rehna Re Baba”, “Pyaar Ke Side Effects”, “Aap Ka Suroor - The Real Love Story”, “Welcome" and “Kis Kis Ki Kismat” among many others.