Malavika Mohanan on Navigating Pan-Indian Industries, Avoiding Token Bollywood Roles, and How Vijay's 'Master' Changed Her Self-Image

When Mohanlal-led Hridayapoorvam hit the big screens last month, Malavika Mohanan wasn't panicking as she used to a couple of years ago. Since her 2017 breakout Majid Majidi film Beyond the Clouds, the actor has seen several Fridays and is well adjusted to the unpredictability of the film business. So, with Hridayapoorvam, Malavika was curious about something else.

"By now, I know that out of all the industries, the Malayali audience is one of the hardest to please!" the actor laughs as she chats about the delightful comedy-drama directed by Sathyan Anthikad.

"They set a high bar for everyone. So you have to be really good. I knew my performance had to land otherwise it's easy to be criticised! But it was quite overwhelming for me to see how the audience responded to the film. It has been a blessing," Malavika says.

In an interview with THR India, the actor talks about how she navigates working across Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, the need for an emotional anchor in an uncertain industry, why she doesn't want to sign a Bollywood film for the sake of it, and how Vijay's Master changed her self-image as an actor.

Edited excerpts from an interview:

Malavika Mohanan

You were born in Kerala, raised in Mumbai, but you work across industries. What does this multi-cultural perspective do to you as an actor?

I was born in Kerala, but my upbringing has been in Mumbai, which is the only home I've ever known. My parents made sure that we spent all our summer vacations in our hometown, which is why I grew up knowing about the culture. That's where the strong sense of identity comes from. I do think in my career, it helps me a lot because as an actor, you cannot be tone-deaf to things; you have to know the cultural nuances of every place. I've worked so much in Tamil now that I know all their cultural nuances, despite not being born or raised there. This is how the multicultural component of mine comes in handy now.

You tweeted a picture of your first-ever audition, which was taken by Mammootty for Pattam Pole, starring Dulquer Salmaan. How do you map your journey?

The magnitude of a lot of things hits you in retrospect. I've been a shy kid, who had nothing to do with performing arts. At that point, it was Mammootty sir who had a serious conversation with me about why I should get into movies. I don't think I really processed it at that point and just went with the flow. It was just flattering that somebody like him thought that I could be an actor!

Since you were a reluctant actor, what have been the learnings?

The biggest thing you learn when you're working in different industries is how to deal with people! There are more unspoken rules than spoken rules. Filmmaking is such a collaborative art form that one of the biggest skill sets you need is actually knowing how to deal with people creatively and logistically, in every sense of the words. I don't mean that you have to be friends with the right people, but you must know how to adapt to different cultures to be able to grow.

How does a shy person do this? Aren't there days when you feel done being constantly out there and meeting anyone?

Oh, yes, absolutely. There are so many times when I'm around people at an event or on set and I just feel so overwhelmed by their sheer presence because I'm a very private person. If I don't feel the same vibe from the people I'm interacting with, I automatically can't connect. Then I immediately shut off and go into my space. This happens a lot to me in this industry because I guess everyone puts on a mask to fit in their own way, right?

But I would say that when I signed Vijay's Master, things changed for me. I received so much love from Tamil fans; there was so much spotlight and attention on me. Before that, I never saw myself in the image of an 'actress'. I never perceived that to be me, but with Master, I feel there was a flip. So many people started seeing me as that. When people see you a certain way, there's a beautiful confidence that comes out of that. That period changed a lot for me, and the Tamil audience is where I first received so much love. Before any other industry, the Tamil film industry gave me that love and recognition.

You have worked with some amazing directors, from Lokesh Kanagaraj and Karthik Subbaraj, to Pa Ranjith. What have these collaborations taught you?

Initially, when you're an actor, the goal is to work with the 'biggest' stars and directors and then gradually your goals shift. Mine is that I want to play memorable characters because that's the only thing that's genuinely going to stand the test of time. I could be a part of a big film, but if it's not a great role...

We all do films like to climb up at the beginning, when you're still solidifying your position. You're not in a position to choose; you have to slowly carve out a niche for yourself. I reached a point where I just knew I had to play memorable, well-written female characters and go for directors who are good at bringing that to life. I have been a huge fan of Sathyan Anthikad's female characters because he has a beautiful gaze through which he writes his female characters. They're layered, they have agency.

In one of the interviews, you said coming back to your family is really great because it gives you emotional padding.

This is a profession where everything is so up and down, there's no there's no consistency. A film does well, then the other doesn't. One day, you are on a lovely, beautiful set, if you're lucky, and everyone feels like family, but then you are suddenly on a set which can be very toxic and maybe you're working on that film for a year. To be around really toxic people has a severe effect on your mental health.

Then, suddenly, from there you jump into something completely different. So there is absolutely no sense of security in this industry for any artist. We are like vagabonds, just moving from one set to the other. So in a profession like that, the feeling of coming home to a strong support system and people who understand you, who are there... That consistency matters a lot. In a profession that's so inconsistent by nature, consistency in personal life is what balances things out.

Malavika Mohanan

What kind of Hindi scripts are you reading at present?

There is no one particular genre. One thing I've been very particular about with my team is that I am really doing some of the best work in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and doing Hindi films for the sake of it is something I've always actively avoided. I say no to a lot of films because they don't excite me. After a lot of films, you get to a point where you think if you want to give five months of your life to this. That's the question you really start asking, which you don't ask initially, because when you are starting, it's all about landing your first role and then the second role and so on.

But once you know that your work is steady and your performances are being well received, then you start looking at the other stuff. If I'm making an investment of five months, including prep, shoot, everything, I want it to really matter. I don't want to do it for the sake of it. Because I'm working with some of the best people in South India, I want to work in something really exciting even in Hindi. So that's something I'm particular about.