When Mallika Sherawat played Kamala Harris in her Hollywood debut

In a rather tough win, Democrat's presidential candidate Joe Biden emerged as the victor of the general elections in the US this year. With Biden in the white house, his vice president, Indian-American politician Kamala Harris will be the first-ever woman of colour in the office. Many congratulated the vice-president-elect on social media after the democrats won. One of them was Bollywood actor Mallika Sherawat. 

But what many may not know is that Sherawat, who has starred with Jackie Chan in a Hollywood project, once played a role inspired by Harris. 

In an interview with The Times of India, the Murder star, who made her Hollywood debut with Politics Of Love, had revealed that Harris helped her feel comfortable in the US. “I was feeling like a fish out of water in Los Angeles at that time. It was a different country and culture, but Kamala put me at ease. I remember her telling me, ‘Getting out of your comfort zone is good to build character, it will make you a stronger person’,” she said.

Sherawat said that the new vice president of the US ‘gives hope and a voice to the voiceless’. The actor further revealed the advice Harris had given her while she was prepping for the role inspired by the latter. “She was extremely helpful when I met her while prepping for Politics of Love. I played a Democrat volunteer who’s half-Indian, half-African-American in the film. I remember she gave me great advice. She had told me to try to keep the character balanced, and the film to represent both sides - the Democrats and the Republicans."

A 2009 Wired.com report quoted Sherawat about her role in the film as saying, “I play a half-Indian half-African American woman (like ‘the female Obama’ Kamala Harris) who falls in love with a black Republican! With a little hard work, combined with some gospel churchin’, hip-hop dance classes and language lessons: I’ll be a swaggalicious suga mama in no time at all!” 

After the US elections, a 2009 tweet of Sherawat’s about meeting the upcoming VP of US is going viral again. “Having fun at a fancy event with a woman who they say could be US President, Kamala Harris. Chicks rule!” she had written in the tweet. In a Facebook post from 2010, she had written, “With Kamala Harris, the attorney general of San Francisco. I was inspired by her for my role in Politics of Love.”

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.