A tete-a-tete It's impossible to miss her lithe body even when she's in loose track pants and a jacket. The venue is Kamalistan Studios in Mumbai, where the shooting is on for Mallika Sherawat's latest film "KLPD" or "Kismat, Love, Paisa, Dilli" directed by Sanjay Khanduri, who also directed "Ek Chalis Ki Last Local".

"It's a romantic thriller set in one night," explains the actress who's back from Los Angeles after a long hiatus. When asked about it though, she says, "But I never left.

I have been shuttling between LA, Mumbai, Cannes etc..

. the world's such a small place these days anyway.

..

" The Haryanvi has always been known for her hot body, but her form is leaner and meaner than ever. She has recently won the tag of PETA's 'Sexiest Vegetarian Alive'.

"Yes, I'm very proud of this award. It's time people got more educated and conscious of our environmental surroundings.

Vegetarianism is a cause very close to my heart. In fact, I'm a Vegan," says the super sexy actress, who is also a self-confessed yoga addict.

"My yoga guru tells me not to use the word 'addict' when it comes to yoga, as it has a negative connotation. But I believe in the power of this addiction!" "KLPD" apart, other projects that she has signed are a film called "Lucky, Unlucky" and a yet untitled comedy presented by Sudhir Mishra.

"In the Sudhir Mishra film, I'm playing a lower middle-class housewife who beats her husband with a belan. In "Lucky, Unlucky", I play a Jat sprinter, and the thing that excites me most about "KLPD" is that it's a story based in Delhi, one of my favourite cities.

" All these roles are a far cry from the usual glamorous "Jalebi Bai" avatars we've seen Mallika don in the last few years. But the actress says she couldn't be happier with the kind of roles that she's taken up.

"Bollywood is going through a massive transformation. The fact that people are offering me these girl-next-door roles as opposed to the glamorous ones I've been playing in the last few years shows that the industry is getting more diverse.

The new, upcoming directors have a very large role to play for this change and it's great for actresses," says she. After the release of " Murder " in 2004, Mallika was touted as the next big thing, but her career's trajectory has not been totally smooth or even unidirectional.

What kept her from getting to the top of the Bollywood game? "I have never ever been the typical commercial heroine, running around trees. If you look at the movies that I've chosen even early in my career, you'll see that all of them have been heroine-centric.

They have all been my films rather than a hero's films. I'm still the same.

" 'you don't become gold by touching gold' In a hero-obsessed industry, Mallika has kept herself at the forefront for a decade, which is no mean feat. Her logic is pretty simple - "You don't become gold by touching gold.

I could have chosen to sing and dance with all the Bollywood biggies. But then after some time, the hero gets bored and goes for the younger, hotter body in town, and your career is finished.

What's the fun in that?" You can't argue on this one. Look at the top stars, and you'll find the '90s male brigade is still ruling Bollywood, while the women from the same decade are M.

I.A.

It certainly isn't because they aren't looking great or have forgotten how to act. Mallika goes on to explain, "And how have I missed out? How many heroines today can talk about being in the spotlight in Bollywood and Hollywood ? I have been given an honorary citizenship in LA I mean, who am I? Just an ordinary girl from Rohtak with big, crazy dreams to become an actress.

But it's all working out fine for me." (less)