Malavika Mohanan opens up on choosing challenging films

CHENNAI: Dressed in black and gold, Malavika Mohanan is all about elegance and strikes a picture of poise and perfection. With films like Petta, Master, Thangalaan and the Malayalam blockbuster Hridyapoorvam, the actor has also established herself as a strong performer across industries.

She says that her upcoming film Sardar 2 with Karthi, helmed by PS Mithran is another challenging film of sorts. “I am excited for Sardar 2. I would call it a challenging role for me physically. There are lots of stunts in the film and we have done insane action sequences. I can’t wait to watch it on the big screen,” she begins. Malavika also has Pocket Novel, directed by the critically-acclaimed Thiagarajan Kumararaja. “Working with him was on my wishlist,” she says with a smile. “He has returned to making a film after seven years and I never thought that the odds of him making a film and me getting to be a part of it would align. It has worked out in the most beautiful manner,” adds the actor.

This also marks her collaboration with Vijay Sethupathi after Master. “This is actually the third film we are in together. However, the third time’s the charm as we are sharing the screen space. When I met him on sets and I told him this about how it took three films for us to have combination scenes, he blanked out that we were also part of Petta. But now he has gone on to become a family friend. He is such a sweet soul,” she remarks.

Malavika has worked with iconic filmmakers like Majid Majidi and directors like Karthik Subbaraj, Lokesh Kanagaraj, Pa Ranjith, PS Mithran and Thiagarajan Kumararaja. “I am a selective person. The right opportunities have come to me and I strongly believe that an actor is as good as the directors they work with because they are captain of the ship. They envision a film and of it isn’t that good, no amount of hard work can make you look good— in terms of characterisation and how that resonates with the audience. Nothing can be salvaged if the maker isn’t good. I have been fortunate that way and have learnt something or the other from all of them.”

She was in Phoenix Marketcity to launch the Phoenix shopping festival as the crowd cheered for her. “I love shopping but not a shopaholic. I am very particular with designs and have my set of brands that I like for their visual language. I shop here often and it’s good to be associated with them. Also, my clothes mostly go with my mood and the moods of the characters I play. In Pocket Novel, my character has a lot of simple, homely sarees. I find myself going for a lot of cotton sarees. It really helps with the climate we live in and the fact that I am shooting in Chennai too. I just wear a saree when I go to a temple,” concludes Malavika.