Here’s an interesting piece of news that not many know of - Mallika Sherawat’s forthcoming film ‘Hisss’ stars Her Royal Highness Princess Lakshmi Bai of Travencore!

“Akka” as she is affectionately called by close friends and family, met ‘Hisss’ director Jennifer Lynch through family friend Govind Menon, a producer of the film, and has known Mallika for the past few years. When director Lynch was casting for the role of Divya Dutta’s mother (Irrfan’s mother-in-law) for the film, she set her sights on the princess, “discovered” her, and offered her the role.

Initially, the Princess vehemently refused and Jennifer had to practically beg her to be in the movie. After much convincing and cajoling, the Princess finally agreed to be a part of the film. To everyone’s pleasant surprise, the Princess turned out to be a pro in front of the camera!

Director Lynch stated, “Akka is a natural story-teller…Her intelligence and grace are matched only by her incredible instinct about people and their character. It was an honor to be her director.”

The role is a crucial one, with intensely dramatic scenes alongside Irrfan Khan, whom many consider to be one of India’s greatest actors. “Akka” also provides a healthy amount of comic relief in the film, and her character’s storyline is crucial to the plot.

In fact, according to an inside source, word among some of the elite circles in Hollywood that have screened the film have said that she “is one of the best things about the film. A break-out character. Everyone thought she must have been a seasoned, or legendary actress from India. No one would have guessed this was her first role. Here she is working with award-winning actors, and she actually manages to steal some scenes!"

With the ‘Hisss’ promotional tour starting early October, sources say that the Princess might even be accompanying Mallika during her trips to some cities down South.

‘Hisss’ is slated for release on October 22.