Malavika: Learning Telugu to conquer Tollywood now

In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, actress Malavika Mohanan, who will next be seen playing the titular role in Christy, shares some BTS about shooting in Kerala, working on several projects, and more.

Shikha Duggal

Malavika Mohanan, the popular actress is going through an excellent phase in her acting career, with some highly promising projects in the south film industry. She is playing the titular role in Christy, which also marks her come-back in the Malayalam movies, although she disapproves of the word “comeback.” The makers have confirmed that the film will hit the screens in February. In Tamil cinema, she has many exciting projects in her kitty already.

Meanwhile, in an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, Beyond the clouds fame opened up about her upcoming film. Here’s what she has to say!

“With every release — my feelings are always very continuing. I still feel the same nervousness but for my fans, they are always way too excited to see me on the big screens. Anxiety kicks in because the box-office collections are going to be very unpredictable, what if it’s a flop? Friday jitters are a must in an actor’s life regardless of stardom.”

Christy is based on a story by Alvin Henry, and has a screenplay by acclaimed Malayalam authors Benyamin and G Indugopan. Set against the backdrop of Poovar, the film revolves around ordinary residents’ lives.

She continued, “Kerala really has some magical places to shoot. We decided to pierce into a village that marks the end of the state. The backwaters were our center of attraction shot in the film! Even the hotel I was staying at was sea-facing, kind of motivating. We spotted floating restaurants too. Shot for almost three months in a row, and every time it was sleeping with the sound of waves. Felt like a paid holiday. On my day off, it was mandatory for me to experience the sunset. Was happily surviving on fish curry and fish fry.”

The other cast members include Joy Mathew, Vineeth Viswam, Rajesh Madhavan, Muthumani, and Veena Nair. And, she said, “My family came to visit me in mid-schedule. I arranged a picnic for them at the most stunning beaches of that village! These are the moments we as actors don’t get to spend in metropolitan cities and a film like Christy gave me that quality time. There was no crowd and I breathed a sigh of relief.”

The film is produced by Sajai Sebastian and Kannan Satheesan under the banner of Rocky Mountain Cinemas. Malavika asserts, “I am very careful these days — promotions are going on and I am still not ready to depart from my character. As simple as she’s in the movie, it’s the result of it. I am seen sporting some finicky and feminine appearances in saree. Way too contemporary behaviour or styling will withdraw me from my character in the film. I am also choosing my sarees very carefully that looks whimsical on me. Having said that, I love ethnic-wear. Like our legendary actresses, even I am impassioned for sarees. I have witnessed how it connects a little more better with our citizens. You can never go wrong with a saree.”

The actress declared it’s not her come-back in any sense because, “My platter is full of film projects lined up in every industry. My priorities are few but clarity before action is very clear! You can even call me “greedy” for being in most of the films, however, I am only achieving my goals. Nowadays, I am learning Telugu to conquer Tollywood too. I’ll not hold myself back from not signing any script. This movie made me feel nostalgic because my cultural roots are strong from here. My parents are hard-core Malayali, so they are always happy to see me doing Malayali movies first. I’ll let the results do the talking now.”

Giving her final comment on the Telugu viral dance hit winning a global fan base, she said, “Naatu Naatu’s win finally cleared the air that cinema in India is just not synonymous with “Bollywood.” It beat entries by established heavyweights too! The song’s international popularity also underscores the fact that language is no barrier to enjoying music across borders. We are hopeful for an Oscar win also now.”