Mumbai, April 15: Mallika Sherawat who is playing a snake-woman in her home production titled Hisss, wants to take her association with a snake to a whole different level.
She is gearing up to be shot by fashion photographer Ash Gupta with an enormous snake wrapped around her, in a concept similar to the one immortalised in the ’80s by German actress Nastassja Kinski and photographer Richard Avedon. Kinski’s famous shot had her lying down naked with just an enormous boa constrictor wrapped around her.
A source close to Mallika confirms, “She is currently in Los Angeles and she plans to do a photo shoot with Ash Gupta this week. The concepts of both the shoots are similar, as in they involved a snake and an actress.” The photo session will take place at Gupta’s Studio 838.
While Nastassja was naked in her photograph, it remains to be seen how far Mallika will go in terms of skin show. However an insider reveals, “Mallika will also go bare for the pictures. The sexy reptilian images captured will be used as key-art for the Hisss poster and marketing materials upon the film’s release.”
Footage from the feature film and photo stills from the reptilian shoot will be unveiled next month at the Cannes Film Festival. Sherawat had last appeared at Cannes in 2004 with Jackie Chan.
The Nastassja shoot
During a PBS interview, Richard Avedon had said this about his photo shoot with Nastassja: “Nastassja spent two hours on a cement floor naked. They anchored the snake around her ankles then waited to see what the snake would do. Shot after shot did not work.
Then finally, after many takes, the boa undulated across Kinski’s hip and slowly made its way toward her head. Seconds later the snake came to within inches of the actress’ ear, then almost languorously extended
——–Agencies