On being a bookworm and the Wayanad tragedy
You can sense an infectious excitement cloaking the nervousness in Malavika Mohanan, just days ahead of the release of her film Thangalaan. Reading, she says, helps keep her peace. “We are so exposed to screens these days and after a long day on my phone, I feel my brain getting numb. So, reading helps reset,” she says, adding it also helps her with her acting. “Because acting is imagining. I am currently reading The Way of the World by Nicolas Bouvier.”
Whenever she finds a break, she visits the stretch between Masinagudi and Wayanad. “This intersection of the three states has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes. In central India, I favour Tadoba and Kanha for tiger sightings,” says Malavika.
The thought of Wayanad, and how the haven is still reeling from the devastating landslide, weighs heavily on Malavika. “The only land I own is in Wayanad. I have close friends there and I have worked very closely with the tribal community in Wayanad. I was devastated to hear about the landslide, and have been organising charity donations to help out.”
Malavika Mohanan as Aarathi in a still from ‘Thangalaan’
On bringing her character of Aarathi to life in ‘Thangalaan’
In Thangalaan, a period drama set in the Kolar Gold Fields, Malavika plays a fierce, magical entity named Aarathi. It’s a character based on a popular myth from the region, an aspect that infuses magical realism into this Pa. Ranjith directorial. Malavika always wanted to play a regal princess in a mythological drama, but Thangalaan isn’t quite that… “I had a different visual in my mind (laughs). But I have always wanted to play a powerful role. It’s always lovely to look like the quintessential characters in movies like Baahubali or Ponniyin Selvan, but I couldn’t have aimed for a role like Aarathi because nothing of that sort had been done before in Indian movies.”
This lack of references to turn to is one of the many reasons that made the film a monumental task for her. First and foremost, the actor was roped in at the last minute, when she was not prepared for a role that demanded such muscle work. “When Thangalaan came to me, I was doing Christy, playing a small-town Malayali girl. I stopped working out and watching my diet because I had to look normal and not athletic.” This was too big an opportunity to let go because it was with an acting powerhouse like Vikram, and because ace director Ranjith writes female characters with flair, she says. “You can’t be dancing around the tree all the time — not to take away anything from that — because you need to prove yourself as a performer to be in the game for the long run.”
Ranjith shot with Malavika for a couple of days, only to realise it was necessary to give her time to prepare. “He then went ahead to shoot schedules that didn’t involve Aarathi, and that’s when my boot camp began.” For the next two-and-a-half months, Malavika had to practise the martial arts of silambam and follow a stringent diet plan.
Following Pa. Ranjith’s vision
Getting the character’s physicality right was the first step. She had to rigorously follow a routine, read the script repeatedly, and talk to Ranjith constantly. “Ranjith sir, for instance, made me watch Viola Davis’ historical adventure TheWoman King to observe the physicality, power and the effortlessness within the power, of the women in the film.”
Given the role her staff (the long stick she keeps twirling around) played in the film, silambam had to become second nature for the actor. “It’s meditative… and practice was the only way to get better.”
Malavika Mohanan as Aarathi in a still from ‘Thangalaan’
What drove her through it all was her faith in Ranjith and his vision. “It’s a mad story, blending tribal folklore and real events. That’s very interesting because India is a treasure of folk stories.” For Aarathi, Ranjith seems to have taken inspiration from a local deity believed to be the protector of the Kolar fields.
Myths and their origin intrigue Malavika. “Back in my hometown, Payyanur, the ritual art of theyyam is popular. In theyyam, men dress up as deities, and each of these deities has a story about how they came to be. Sometimes it’s because of social inequality. A person who died due to oppression becomes a beacon of hope for that community.” Aarathi, she believes, might have originated from a similar myth. “The story that whoever has gone there hasn’t come back because of this witch-like figure was probably meant to scare greedy people off the gold mines.”
The lack of real-world references also meant they had to construct Aarathi’s exterior all on their own. “Because I grew up in a modern city, there’s a polished way in which I walk, stand, move my hands or wrists when I talk. So we had to figure out, say, the right walk, or how to bring a rawness in how I stand, or how do I fight. I had to break what comes naturally to me in every sense possible.”
Empowering women with agency, and the importance of social media
A few years ago, Malavika mentioned how a photoshoot uploaded on Instagram changed her post-Petta image. Malavika, who bolsters her celebrity status with a strong Instagram presence, believes social media is a powerful tool for a female actor in this age and time. “These days, producers and filmmakers check your Instagram to see if you fit the bill. The important question is how you want to use that tool.” An Instagram profile must reflect your career path and you have to play it to your strengths, she adds. “It helps you put yourself out there, have an image makeover, and get to work with like-minded people.”
Much of everything else in Malavika’s profile shows her aptitude for presenting herself and choosing visual aesthetics. That her father is ace cinematographer KU Mohanan might have played a role in honing her eye for detail. “Growing up in a household where visual arts were given emphasis, you are trained to look at things in a certain way. Even now, if I enter a room, I notice the lighting. And the lighting affects my mood as well,” she says, adding that it takes some trial and error to learn how social media works.
“An image is something you are creating with yourself. Do not let anybody else have the power to dictate your image. Even with my photoshoots, I tell my photographers what gaze to shoot me with,” she says.
On Women’s Day, Malavika posted a picture of Bhutanese stamps with Aarthi’s image that she got printed at a local post office. The caption wished for girls and women to have “power, agency, strength, and a voice of her own”. Malavika has been talking about empowering women with agency, not because she had to fight for it, but because she knows the importance of it. “My parents gave me agency while being a supportive system, letting me navigate my life. But I know how rare that is.”
“People have fought for whatever I can be today. So we need to fight for the future we want to have.” This is also why she feels proud of playing Aarathi. “She is stronger than anybody else, even physically. Who writes roles like that in mainstream Tamil cinema? I remember Vikram sir saying that young girls and women need to see this character. It’s a character that says, ‘I can be a fighter too if I want to; I can have agency as well and I don’t have to stand behind a guy who is fighting.’” For Vikram, it was the opposite. “Heroes are always expected to be invulnerable. But here are moments where he is vulnerable and lost, and it’s okay for men to feel that,” she says.
On completing 10 years in the movies
Having finished over 10 years in her film career, Malavika reflects on the patience it had required. To be patient is what she would tell the Malavika Mohanan of the past. “It has taken me a long time to get here, to get the roles I truly want to do,” she adds.
After Thangalaan, the actor will be seen alongside Prabhas in The Raja Saab. “I have been wanting to get into Telugu for some time. I was waiting for the right project, and my character in The Raja Saab is fantastic.” Meanwhile, her Hindi film Yudhra, produced by Farhan Akhtar, is releasing in September. “I will soon start shooting for Sardar 2, and that’s an important character too. No matter what genre, I want to play important roles. I hope that happens, so I can walk the talk.”
