Malavika Mohanan on Maaran: Working with Dhanush was like an acting workshop

Malavika Mohanan understands the power of commercial cinema. She knows these are the projects that will help her reach the masses and put her in the spotlight, even if she has little to offer in the bigger scheme of things

same happened with last year Guru ji, which criticized his thin-skinned character, despite favorable reviews. Because of Guru jiShe got an offer as the female lead maraniDirected by Kartik Naren and starring Dhanush.

She candidly admits that when Kartik Naren narrated the script to her, she mainly said ‘yes’ to Canvas and the opportunity to act with Dhanush. Edited interview excerpts:

How has your life been after the Master?

film like Guru ji People will notice you. There are films I’ve done in the past where my work got critical acclaim, but it didn’t do much.

Maran is your third film in Tamil…

Kartik was still working on the script when he narrated it.

For any film to start it should have a good group of producers. Otherwise, it’s not going to reach the right people; It is not going to get the right kind of release and marketing. All these business elements are also very important. So it was the team that told me ‘yes’.

My character is very interesting as compared to my last two Tamil films. She weighs a lot and has some agency that is rare for female actors in star-driven movies.

Dhanush is intimidating as an actor?

When you’re working with really good actors, you have this panic: What if this person judges you. But Dhanush was guiding me throughout the shoot. He is very helpful and helpful as a co-star. So, it was like an acting workshop.

I think he’s been doing this for so long and at the same time, he’s so good at what he does that he can switch like that. He might joke with his team on one hand, and then cry during the take and explain to you that he’s been depressed for a year.

He might joke with his team on one hand, and then cry during the take and explain to you that he’s been depressed for a year. I don’t know how he does it; I can not do that. Maybe I’ll be there someday.

A still of ‘Maran’ | photo credit: special arrangement

You are at the top of your career. Going forward, do you think you will be able to do a film for yourself and one for commercial reasons?

I keep thinking about this. Now I am doing a lot of work in Hindi also. But I love Tamil. Even though I started my career in Malayalam, I consider Tamil cinema my home.

If you are doing a film with a big hero, you know it will not be a big role. And if it’s a very good role, it can’t get access then it becomes a high risk film. I hope I get good roles in big canvas films because you get to play your part and you know the film is not on your shoulders.

move will be like a balance Guru ji. Since the pandemic, audiences have been rejecting movies when there is no good content. It has started happening in Hindi. But big ticket movies in Tamil and Telugu like Guru ji And Pushpa working because they are good commercial cinema.

Looks like you have built a brand not through movies but with your posts on Instagram…

I see it as a very useful business tool if you use it correctly. I will give you an example. when i did petta, I knew it was not the lead role. But having said that, I also knew that I cannot do the lead role with Rajini sir because there is such a huge age gap. But then, there were two or three scenes in it where I could really perform.

until i did pettaI didn’t know that these are the rules of pairing in Tamil cinema. I was offered a supporting character in a big director’s film. That’s when I decided to stop and decided not to do films one after the other. Since I played the role of a village girl petta, My PR team came up with this idea of ​​a photoshoot to rotate the picture. So it is entirely because of social media that as a result I got my second film in Tamil.

If you were given a choice between: superstardom or multiple national awards, which would you choose?

I want to work with some good actors. There was a time when I used to struggle in life waiting for work. I still remember how it feels. Over fame, I would choose recognition and recognition because that is what will help me grow.

marani Releasing this Friday on Disney+ Hotstar.