Malavika Mohanan, best known for films like Beyond the Clouds and Petta, says there is a dearth of well-etched roles for women actors across film industries, especially in big-budget potboiler movies.
The actor made her debut in 2013 with Malayalam romantic drama ‘Pattam Pole’ and has also worked in films in Tamil, Kannada and Hindi languages. ‘… That is the major disparity and it is there in all industries, including Bollywood, where in masala movies she (heroine) will have one or two scenes, fall in love, have songs, etc. ‘But this has been in discussion for years and what we can do as new actors is that we can pick up movies that can bring about a change,’ Malavika Mohanan said.
Citing the example of her upcoming film ‘Master’ in which she plays a young college professor, the 27-year-old actor said she is happy her character contributes to the story which revolves around an alcoholic professor, played by Vijay, and a gangster (Vijay Sethupathi).
‘In ‘Master’, it is not that she (her character) is just an eye-candy or I am there for the romantic angle. She is contributing to the story. For me it is always important to do roles that contribute to the story. There is no fun in just looking pretty,’ she added. Mohanan said she had asked Lokesh Kanagaraj, director of ‘Master’, how well-rounded her part in the film was.
‘Gone are the days when women were portrayed as delicate darlings, it is such a cliche. Now there are bada** roles written for women,’ she said, adding American action revenge drama films ‘Kill Bill’, starring Uma Thurman is one of her all-time favourite series. ”As little girls we have always seen boys do all the action, even in Marvel superhero films. When I saw ‘Kill Bill’ I wanted to do a role like that. In ‘Master’, unfortunately I don’t have action sequences. (But) I want to do it. I prefer doing action sequences over dance.” Produced by Xavier Britto, ‘Master’ was initially planned for a theatrical release on April 9, 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is set to hit cinema houses on January 13 in Tamil and a day later in Hindi.
Mohanan is next teaming up with Dhanush for a film, to be directed by acclaimed-director Karthick Naren. The actress is also in talks for an action film, she said.