Mallika Sherawat

Sherawat's birth name is Reema Lamba; she says that she adopted the screen name of "Mallika", meaning "empress" to avoid confusion with other actresses named Reema. "Sherawat" is her mother's maiden name. She has stated that she uses her mother's maiden name because of all the support her mother has provided for her. She has obtained a degree in Indian philosophy from Miranda House, Delhi University. Mallika's onscreen debut was in Lak Tunoo, a music video by Surjit Bindrakhia.

She attracted wide notice with her appearance in the 2003 movie Khwahish. In 2004, she starred in Murder, a film inspired by Hollywood's Unfaithful. She received a nomination for Best Actress at the Zee Cine Awards ceremony for her performance in Murder. The film went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. Since then, Sherawat has been known for her courage to express her opinions in public, as well as because of the reaction to some of her statements.