Mallika Sherawat has spent years in the spotlight, known for her fearless personality, bold screen presence and willingness to speak her mind. But long before she became a familiar name in Bollywood, she was Reema Lamba, a young woman from Moth, a small village in Haryana’s Hisar district.
Her journey from a relatively quiet life in Haryana to becoming one of Bollywood’s most talked-about actors has been anything but conventional. While her film career has often been discussed, there is a lesser-known chapter of her life that she has largely kept away from the public eye—her early marriage.
Mallika was 21 when she got married
Before entering the film industry, Mallika was known by her birth name, Reema Lamba. At just 21 years old, she married Karan Singh Gill, who was a pilot with Jet Airways.
The marriage was reportedly a love-cum-arranged relationship. According to an earlier report by Stardust, Mallika and Karan first developed a friendship that eventually turned into love. Their families were also involved in the marriage, which was reportedly celebrated with a grand reception in Delhi.
Mallika’s uncle, Sushil Lamba, spoke about the relationship in a 2009 interaction with the magazine and recalled how the couple’s friendship gradually developed into a relationship.
He said, “As their (Mallika and Karan) friendship started brewing, the lovebirds decided to marry soon. It was a love-cum-arranged marriage, and everybody from both sides of the family was present there at the wedding. It was a grand reception in Delhi.”
From Reema Lamba to Mallika Sherawat
Marriage, however, was not the end of Mallika’s journey. She eventually decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, a choice that brought her into the world of modelling and films.
As she entered showbiz, she adopted the screen name Mallika Sherawat. Her decision to pursue acting marked a major change from her earlier life and eventually turned her into one of Bollywood’s most recognisable faces.
Her bold image and unconventional choices helped her stand out at a time when few mainstream actors were willing to embrace such a strong public persona.
Her marriage eventually ended
Mallika’s marriage to Karan Singh Gill did not last. The relationship eventually ended as she pursued her ambitions in the glamour industry.
Despite becoming a public figure, Mallika has generally maintained a degree of privacy around her marriage and divorce. She has rarely made her personal life the centre of her public image, choosing instead to focus on her career and views on the entertainment industry.
The limited details available about her early marriage have therefore remained a relatively unknown part of her story.
A journey that took her far from home
Mallika’s transformation from Reema Lamba, a young woman from a small Haryana village, to an actor who built a career around challenging conventions reflects the unconventional path she has taken throughout her life.
She faced criticism and controversy along the way, but continued to carve out her own identity in Bollywood. Over the years, she has also worked internationally and remained outspoken about subjects ranging from women’s independence to the film industry’s expectations of actresses.
Her early marriage is just one chapter of that journey, but it offers a glimpse into the life Mallika lived before fame changed everything.
Today, Mallika Sherawat is remembered not only for her films but also for her willingness to make choices on her own terms. Her story—from Reema Lamba to Mallika Sherawat—remains one of Bollywood’s more unusual journeys from a small-town upbringing to the world of glamour and cinema.
