Mallika Sherawat

Sherawat was born Reema Lamba in Rohtak, Haryana to a Jat family. Mallika was born in the family of Seth Chhaju Ram, a leading Jat philanthropist. She was born on October 24, though the year is unknown. She adopted the screen name of "Mallika", meaning "empress", to avoid confusion with other actresses named Reema. "Sherawat" is her mother's maiden name She has stated that she uses her mother's maiden name because of the support that her mother has provided her. Although relations with her family were strained when she entered the film industry, now Sherawat's family have accepted her career choice and reconciled their relations.

Sherawat went to school at Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. She has obtained a degree in philosophy from Miranda House, Delhi University. During the initial days of her career, she claimed to have come from a very conservative small town family, and that she faced many hurdles from her family in pursuing her career. However, Mallika's family has refuted this as a story created by her to give her an aura of a small town rustic girl who made it big in Bollywood. It has been reported that she was married for a short while to a Jet Airways pilot Captain Karan Singh Gill.

A small-town girl (from Rohtak in Haryana), Mallika always had stars in her eyes and was determined to pursue the glamour profession and give it all it took to make it. Even though her conservative father was dead against her decision, Mallika defied his wishes and moved to Mumbai to carve a niche for herself in the big bad world of showbiz. Very few would know that she not only defied her father’s wishes, but also walked out of her marriage with Jet Airways pilot Captain Karan Singh Gill in Delhi to pursue her dream. Mallika, then called Reema, had married Karan soon after she completed her graduation from Miranda House, Delhi University and was working as a part time airhostess.