Hot Mallika Sherawat Lingerie photoshoot for Ash Gupta

There were 17 kisses in Mallika Sherawat’s first film and because I am keenly aware of how provocative a number this is, especially for the Bollywood of 2002, I have spent my morning watching and re-watching these kisses on YouTube. My favorite takes place on wet sand and recalls Burt Lancaster’s and Deborah Kerr’s iconic beach embrace in From Here to Eternity: Sherawat and her Khwahish costar, Himangshu Malik, roll over each other and gently smooch as waves lap around them.

The fact that Mallika Sherawat made her Bollywood debut with kiss-heavy Khwahish, a love story that caused ripples despite its relatively tame romantic plot, means that she has not only been labeled a sensual siren but has also become something stranger: a spokesperson for brazenness in Bollywood.