By Hindustan Times

New Delhi, Sept. 13 -- After nearly two years in Hollywood, Mallika Sherawat is back in Bollywood. The actor has started shooting for Ashok Thakeria and Indra Kumar's Double Dhamaal (the sequel to the duo's hit Dhamaal) in Pune. And guess what she wore for the first shot? A bikini, of course!

Is it the return of the sex symbol? Thakeria, who's co-producing the film with Reliance Big Pictures, laughs, "Mallika is paired with Sanjay Dutt and the first scene was by a pool. Since she steps out of the water, a bikini was the most appropriate attire." He adds that the actor had no hang-ups about the bikini shoot.

Wasn't Bipasha Basu considered for the same role? Thakeria concedes that Kumar and he had been thinking of various options, but eventually decided that Mallika was the best choice. "Indu (Indra Kumar) spoke to Mallika on the phone and she was really excited after hearing the script," he says.

Sherawat is quite friendly with the her co-stars, including Kangna Ranaut, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi, Aashish Chowdhry and Jaaved Jaffery. "They're really having a blast. There are no ego hassles," says Thakeria. He insists Sherawat hasn't lost touch with Bollywood during her stay in Los Angeles. "She used to watch Hindi movies and kept herself updated on what was happening here through her friends," adds Thakeria.