Mallika Sherawat has already been seen at two events with the US President Barack Obama. She missed out on making strike three with an exclusive poetry reading session at the Presidential residence in Washington. Reason? She will host a party to promote her film at Cannes on the same date.

And so, despite her professed love for poetry (the actress admits to being familiar with the verse of 13th century poet Amir Khusro, 19th century poet Mirza Ghalib and America's TS Eliot), work won this round.
A source close to the Hisss actress insists that for Madame M, her "professional commitments come first". Hosting a sunset cocktail party for her Hollywood release, Politics of Love on Nikki Beach in Cannes was something she had committed to months before.