Tamil actress Malavika Mohanan on Bollywood debut: Industries never really matter – Exclusive

Malavika Mohanan

Malavika Mohanan, the talented actress who has made a mark in the Tamil and Malayalam industries, has made her Bollywood debut with an action-packed movie, Yudhra, which released in theaters today (September 20).

On the eve of the film's release, in an exclusive conversation with Money Control, Malavika opened up about her journey, her approach to acting, and what drew her to her first Bollywood film, Yudhra, opposite Sidhanth Chaturvedi.

Malavika has primarily worked in Tamil films off late and is currently also working on a Telugu project. In the exclusive conversation, Malavika said that signing movies 'just for announcements' is not her style, and that's why she waited for the right Hindi project to come her way.

"I've had a lot of films come my way in the past, but I've never believed in signing films back-to-back just for announcements or to keep the ball rolling. It's always been about connecting with the character or connecting with the script. And if I don't, then it's okay. Like, I'd rather work on projects that I connect; the industry never really mattered to me," Malavika says, emphasizing her selective approach to choosing projects.

So, what made her say yes to Yudhra? "I love the makers to start with—Excel has made such iconic films as Dil Chahta Hai, Don, to Lakshya, and then Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. I wanted to work with them; I liked their wavelength. I resonate with it. They've always made really good films, which have also been commercially well received. So, that was, like, a big bait for me. And it was with Sidhanth, who was, like, fresh off, Gully Boy, like, this upcoming talent. So everything, like it called out to me in all the right ways. So it seemed like it told me like a good project."

When asked about the reason why she stayed away from Bollywood, Malavika said, "I was waiting for the right film, what felt right to me. This (Yudhra) felt right to me."

Malavika added that she is already in talks for some Hindi projects and that her fans will see her more in Bollywood. "I'm in talks for a lot of projects, so a lot more to do."

On being asked if she is nervous ahead of the Bollywood debut, Malavika said: "I am nervous and excited in several ways. There are mixed emotions. We waited a long time; we have been working on this project for a while. It's finally coming out. It's my first out-and-out, Bollywood film. It's so many layers of emotions. Feeling a lot of things," she said with a smile on her face.

Malavika was recently seen opposite Tamil superstar Chiyaan Vikram in the hit film Thangalaan, and the actress said it was a different experience from Yudhra.

"What excited me was that both the worlds are different. In fact, all the projects I'm working on currently are so diverse from each other. It challenges you as an actor. You don't get stuck in one mold," she added.

"You don't get stuck in one mold even in your head, you know, you don't get stuck in this a, b, c, d, a, b, c. Like, it's a repetitive mold. And it's very stimulating to be on set and find something hard and then to finally plug that. And to crack that right, it's like it's like a different kind of high, and I really enjoyed that. Thangalaan I played a tribal goddess. In Yudhra, I play a girl from, you know, I play a city girl. So, it's like Mars and Venus. The prep also required, like, for Thangalaan, it was very, very physical prep. It was a very heavy role. I mean, I had to learn gymnastics. I had to learn stick fighting. I had to like, there was so much of that that went into that, which wasn't, which is not really required when you're playing a character like the one I'm in Yudhra.

The actress said she had to brush up her Hindi for Yudhra: "I had to brush up on my Hindi a little bit because my Hindi is a little Bambaiya. I've grown up in Mumbai. So all the and everything, you know, my director was like, please, speak clear Hindi. So, this required entirely different things."

Having worked extensively in the Tamil film industry, Malavika Mohan has also signed a Telugu project. She said that all film industries share striking similarities. All operate within their own sets of explicit and implicit rules.

"I've primarily worked in the Tamil industry in the last few years and am working on a Telugu project currently. I don't find any difference as such, particularly, like, every industry is, you know, they have their own spoken and unspoken rules, which is natural. But there's no one big difference I can particularly point out,' she told us.

Malavika also spoke about her experience of working with Siddhant Chaturvedi, her co-star in Yudhra, and how he cheered for her during all the action sequences. "All the men in my life, including my brother, my close friends who are guys, Siddhant—they're all excited that a girl is doing so many action sequences. It's nice to see boys cheering for girls."

Malavika has worked with the stalwarts of industry like Mammootty (The Great Father), Rajinikanth (Petta), Vikram (Thangalaan), and Vijay Sethupathi (Master) in the past.

On being asked about what she takes from all the stalwarts she has worked with in the past, Malavika shares she observes and learns from her co-actors. "There is so much to learn from every actor. We are always picking up things, knowingly and unknowingly. As actors, I feel like I'm always on a set and always observing, especially when I'm working with someone whose work I really admire."

Finally, when asked about her favorite genre, Malavika confesses she would love to do an out-and-out romantic movie. Malavika said she has done a lot of action films and now wants to play the sweet girl in a film.

"I love doing action, but it can get a little too technical. I think what really interests me is drama, be it romantic drama or any other kind of drama. I've really been wanting to do an out-and-out romantic film. It's been a really long time, and I just want to dance and have good songs and be a lover girl."

Malavika was praised for her role as Aarathi in Thangalaan, and she is doing some hardcore action scenes in Yudhra.