She could be labelled 'Murder India'. Remember how Radha gunned down her son Birju at the end of Mehboob Khan's "Mother India"? Looks like Bollywood has found an equivalent - Mallika Sherawat has just killed her own career.

After "Murder", Mallika Sherawat - who made her debut in Vashu Bhagnani's "Jeena Sirrf Tere Liye" - had the world panting at her feet.

At a time when she should have been making friends and influencing box-office trends, Mallika adopted a new role. She tried to become the elusive diva. The press was shunned, old friends were told to keep away, and a 'no trespassing' sign was put up in front of her career.

Result? Mallika virtually had the entire industry guarded if not antagonistic. One faithful director, Govind Menon, continued to favour her after "Khwahish". He made two more comedies with Mallika in the lead.

Menon's "Kiss Kiss Ki Kismat" in 2004 and "Bachke Rehna Re Baba" this year may have just finished Mallika's hot-hot career in Bollywood.

No one wants to touch her.

Recently an enterprising filmmaker offered Mallika an item song in his film. "I will do it if there is a meaty role attached," Mallika is understood to have said.

The filmmaker went for another actress.

Farhan Akhtar very seriously thought of casting her in Helen's role in "Don". A thought now gone. Official reason: Mallika can't dance.

So what can she do besides make sensational headlines and shocking controversies? "She has no career, no charm, no sex appeal. It's all in her mind," a young filmmaker said.

But then what about the repeated references to Mallika on TV series "Koffee with Karan", where practically every male guest singled her out as being the sexiest heroine?

Laughs an insider from Karan's camp: "Don't you get it? It was a standing joke. If they mentioned any other heroine's name the rest would've got upset. Mentioning Mallika was safe.

"She isn't regarded as one of the mainstream heroines. None of the heroes knows her or wants to know her. She's isolated in her plastic ivory tower, queen of all she surveys."

Raj Kumar Santoshi had promised to produce a film with Mallika in the lead. It's nowhere to be seen.

So where does Mallika go from here? Hollywood? "The Myth", the Jackie Chan movie that she's hunky dory about, has her along with several other leading ladies.

The news that she had been approached by Tom Cruise's agent to look after her career seems to have come and gone.

Cruise seems as distant as Mallika's dreams of becoming a Bollywood diva.