Although Mallika made her debut in a brief role in the Tusshar Kapoor-Kareena Kapoor starrer dud Jeena Sirf Merre Liye, in which she was credited as Reema Lamba, the kissing sagas from Khwahish brought her into the limelight. Mallika shared 17 kisses with co-star Himanshu Malik in the film.

With Murder, Mallika went bolder. Her steamy scenes with Emraan Hashmi in the film played a major part in making the movie success at the box office.

Mallika also got a chance to share screen space with the vivacious Rekha in the 2005 release Bachke Rehna Re Baba. Poor script however marred the film's fortunes

In Kismat Love Paisa Dilli (KLPD), Mallika plays Lovina, the girl next door, who ends up falling love with Lokesh (Vivek), a middle-class guy, following their encounter on the night both miss the last metro back home. The film is a sequel to the 2007 movie 'Ek Chalis Ki Last Local', which starred Abhay Deol and Neha Dhupia.

She claimed to go international after bagging a role in a Jackie Chan flick, but The Myth was busted rather soon as her appearance was limited to a blink-and-you-miss type role

Pyaar Ke Side Effects has been among the few films where her acting skills have come to the fore

The actress also had a prominent role in the 2006 comedy Shaadi Se Pehle, starring Akshaye Khanna and Ayesha Takia. But, the film failed to do well.

Mallika sizzled in the Mayya Mayya number in Mani Ratnam's Guru

Her role in Welcome, in which she seduced older men played by Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor, proved her comic acting skills

In spite of getting plum roles in films like Ugly Aur Pagli and Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam, Mallika could not consolidate her position as a lead actress

Hiss, the Hindi, English crossover flick, in which Mallika plays a snake-woman, was a disaster at the Box office.

Mallika's item number Razia, in the otherwise pathetic Thank You, went on to become quite a big hit

She also bagged a role in Double Dhamaal, the sequel to Indra Kumar's heroine-less flick, 'Dhamaal' (2007). The film did little to rescue her sinking career though

Mallika Sherawat's 'Dirty Politics' saw the actress undergo an image change for her portrayal as a politician in the ensemble film, which also saw stalwarts like Om Puri, Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah and Jackie Shroff playing pivotal roles

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Mallika Sherawat!