Real India is not in Malabar Hill, it's in Chattisgarh and Nagpur : Mallika Sherawat

It’s the queen of kiss and hiss who has made her television debut in style with Chak Dhoom Dhoom last night. The name is Mallika Sherawat, known for her quotable quotes, her red carpet walks on international platforms and her of course her on-screen and off screen gimmicks. TellyChakkar caught with the actress who will share the judge’s chair with Javed Jaffrey and Terence Lewis. Why did you take up Chak Dhoom Dhoom? It has a unique format and the thing I like the most is it gives an opportunity to children from small towns to showcase their talent on an international platform. During the auditions I came across children from small towns and cities and I could emotionally connect with them as I have been through the same. When did you dance for the first time? I wish I could dance the way these little kids dance these days. But, I did not dance like them as I am from Haryana and it was more of folk dance there so I knew that. Do you understand the technicalities of dance? No, I am not a technical person but I am learning all this B-boying and windmill. I had never even heard these names before but am learning it from Javed and Terence. Madhuri Dixit is the judge for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Do you look at her as a competitor? She is a legend and we have grown up seeing her movies. I feel no one should even ask me that question, I look up to her. Did you like any groups during the auditions? There was this group that came for the auditions and you won’t believe it but the entire village had contributed for these kids to be on the show. There was another team of handicapped kids then there was this team of middle-aged women who had left their household work just to be part of the auditions. These mothers from Gujarat were really entertaining. Has there been any disagreement with your co-judges during the auditions? We haven’t fought yet but Javed gives a lot of lectures. I usually keep telling them, ‘Leave the kids’. Because these people do not even praise the kids; they are just not generous. They reject a team because of some ‘finish’ their performance lacked or some such thing. I know they are technical things and that is why they reject them but I look at the overall package as to how much energy they have put in and the attitude they carry. These shows usually bring in a lot of competition and with that comes pressure, have you observed it? Yes, there is a lot of pressure and I have seen kids doing dangerous stunt just to get that minute of attention. I usually discourage them though it’s good that they learn early in life but not this way. Did you ever participate in any competition as a child? No, we never had any competitions in Haryana if we had such competitions and opportunities I wouldn’t have run away from my house to become an actress. What do you think about the competition in the industry? I see it in a healthy way and I like it because everyone is on their toes this way. I feel competition is important and that can wake you up, jolt you. Lesser ratings and flop films give you the power to start working again. Were you offered any other reality shows? I had got a lot of offers but at this stage I do not want to do things for money. I took up this show because I like the fact they are going to the heart of India and searching for talent. Real India is not in Malabar hill, it’s in Chhattisgarh and Nagpur. Here in Bollywood, they just want to promote their children and I am against it. Do we see any of your international friends making it on the show as you are part of it now? An international star should appeal to the common man here. For a person in Chhattisgarh Johnny Depp means no one!