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Malavika Mohanan had a ‘very exciting year’. Even before she’s done celebrating the success of Thangalaan, she’s on the silver screen again with her latest release Yudhra. Shutting between Chennai and Hyderabad to shoot for films, the actor is pumped when she speaks to Hindustan Times despite not having a ‘single day off’ in three months. (Also Read: Malavika Mohanan speaks out on the safety of women, says she feels ‘helpless’: It is a patriarchal mindset)
“As an actor, you always want to do diverse films across languages. To have that in abundance is a mood lifter, so is working with artistes you admire,” Malavika tells Hindustan Times, adding, “But working for 15-16 hours where I’m just happy to see a bed at the end of the day is hard. So is not getting time to spend with family or friends.”
‘It’s a good time to be an actor’
Missing quality time with her family aside, Malavika is happy to now be known as an actor who has worked across film industries. “Right now, a good film will reach its audience no matter what. Malayalam movies are getting their due, and Telugu films are doing as well as Hindi films, if not better. It’s a good time to be an actor,” she says.
Malavika admits to having a ‘good time’ hopping industries because she wants to work with Mani Ratnam, but also SS Rajamouli and Zoya Akhtar. “It’s a good time to be an actor, especially if you’re a woman, because there’s so much scope, and you’re not limited to a single space. It’s been so lovely that my last release was in Tamil (Thangalaan), now Hindi (Yudhra), and the next one will be in Telugu (The Raja Saab),” she adds.
‘Made the best of what came my way’
When Malavika speaks of her career, one wonders if she had some carefully charted plan when she debuted in 2013 with the Malayalam film Pattam Pole. But what she narrates is more serendipity. “We figure out life as we live, and the same goes for my career. When I started, I didn’t sit thinking I’d work with someone. I was just making the best of what came my way,” she explains.
It’s also how she said yes to Yudhra, she says. “I’ve resonated with films like Dil Chahta Hai, Don or Gully Boy that Excel Entertainment has produced. It was a fresh young cast with Siddhant (Chaturvedi) and Raghav (Juyal). My gut instinct was that this would be a good one. It’s a mix of rationale and intuitiveness, which is how I like to make most decisions now. I can’t predict how a film works, what matters is that I have fun creatively,” says Malavika.
‘My friends jokingly call me Bruce Lee’
One thing Malavika enjoyed in her recent films was the action, she says. “I’ve done a bit of action in Yudhra, and it’s been very cool. Sid is very proud of it; he’s been my biggest cheerleader. When I don’t talk about it, he nudges me to. I enjoy dancing, but it’s so fun to pull off stunts,” says the actor, adding, “Even in Thangalaan, I played a tribal goddess who faces off against Chiyaan Vikram, I had never seen a role like that written for women in Indian cinema.”
Malavika also admits it’s time to portray women as strong ‘physically, not just emotionally, mentally or as a pillar of strength for someone else.’ “Very few films have female characters that are strong in the truest sense like most women I know, soft yet can beat people up. (laugh) My friends have now begun jokingly calling me female Bruce Lee because I’ve inevitably done stunts in my recent films,” she explains.
‘Prabhas fed me a lot of delicious food’
Now that Malavika has tried out action, she’s ready to tap into a new genre – romantic horror comedy. “The Raja Saab has the makings of a rom-com but also a horror comedy,” she explains, adding, “I was waiting for the right film to enter the Telugu film industry with, so to get one in which my character has a lot to do is a boon. The film is an out-and-out entertainer, and we’re halfway through shooting it.”
While her Telugu debut will be ready for release in April next year, she’s admittedly ‘having a great time on set’, thanks to her co-star Prabhas. “Prabhas has fed me quite a bit…a lot. (laughs) Everyone who works with him can vouch for his generosity. And, he tends to send a lot of food. It’s not like he’ll send biryani and raita or a chicken curry…it’ll be 10-12 large utensils with enough food to feed a village. But it’s also the most delicious food I’ve had,” she rounds off.
