Mallika Sherawat: Bollywood actress 'tear-gassed and beaten during attack in Paris'

Police are reportedly investigating the motive for the crime

Mallika Sherawat (Getty)

A famous Bollywood actress has reportedly been beaten and sprayed with tear gas in an attack in Paris.

Mallika Sherawat and a male companion were surprised by three masked men when they arrived back to their accommodation on Rue de La Faisanderie in Paris on Friday, according to French newspaper Le Parisien.

The men reportedly sprayed Sherawat and her companion with tear gas before beating them both and fleeing afterwards.

Police are reportedly now investigating the motive for the alleged crime.

Sherawat is a prominent actress in India having starred in a number of high-profile Bollywood films including Khwahish and Murder. She also starred in an Indian spin-off version of the reality series The Bachelor where she looked for a date.

The 40-year-old is also an outspoken feminist and has previously criticised Indian society as a “regressive” place for women citing gang rapes and honour killing as examples.

Despite the alleged ordeal, Sherawat has continued to update her followers on social media and shared an updated of her visit to the Taj Mahal on Thursday.

The alleged attack is the second involving a high-profile person in Paris in a mere matter of months.

On October 3, Kim Kardashian West was bound and gagged while thieves made off with millions of pounds worth of jewellery, according to French police. She has taken a break from social media in the wake of the incident.