Malavika Mohanan calls out industry bias: ‘Producers don’t dare to back female-led big films’

Malavika Mohanan

• Malavika Mohanan points out the lack of big-budget films with female leads
• She praises "Lokah: Chapter 1—Chandra" as a rare hit female-led big-budget film.
• Malavika emphasizes fair pay and true representation for women in cinema.

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Malavika Mohanan has gained fame in commercial films by working with some of the best actors and actresses across different industries. She has been part of many films with popular actors such as Rajinikanth, Thalapathy Vijay, Dhanush, Vikram, and Prabhas. The actress, on the other hand, says that most of these movies are big-budget action blockbusters with male stars. This shows a bigger problem in the business.

Malavika commented about how people aren't sure about big-budget movies with female leads in a private conversation.

She adds that the way the business thinks about money is the key reason for the problem.

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She said that a lot of male actors and producers don't think movies featuring a lot of women are worth the money they spend on them. That's why most budgets are small. Because of this, only a few big-budget movies with women in them have been able to get into theaters.

Malavika said that Lokah: Chapter 1—Chandra was a rare and good exception, though. She claimed that the movie, which starred Kalyani Priyadarshan, was made with a lot of money for a Malayalam movie and did well because the producers trusted in the premise and the actor's ability to carry the movie.

She believes that the movie's success at the box office illustrates that women-owned businesses can do well if they have strong morals.

The actress also talked on how most of the people in the business are men and how it impacts who has the greatest influence. She said that she isn't scared to say what she thinks, even if it hurts her career.

Malavika also said that there are 'true feminists' and some people who only support feminist beliefs to obtain attention or establish their own brand.

She believes that many women sincerely want fairness and equality, but she also believes that certain voices don't really show such values in real life.

Malavika said that women artists from the past gave actresses today the independence they enjoy. But she made it clear that the fight is far from over, especially when it comes to things like getting paid fairly and having true representation.

Malavika and Prabhas were last seen together in the professional movie The RajaSaab. She works in mainstream movies, yet she still talks about how things need to change.