Master was like a college project that we all had fun doing: Malavika Mohanan

While most of us complain about getting bored at home in the lockdown, Malavika Mohanan admits she doesn’t even realise days passing by. “That’s because I shamelessly wake up at 12.30 or 1 pm,” she says sheepishly, “Once lunch is done, I take over the kitchen to do the dishes. I then spend my time watching shows and playing ludo and other games with friends online. I then help my mom make dinner. I’m her apprentice in the kitchen, and I help her by chopping vegetables and passing stuff like molagu podi to her. I then clean the kitchen and after that, it’s movie time! I try to catch up on good foreign films that have made it to festivals.”

Malavika has also been reading a lot. “With hectic work schedules, it’s easy to fill up your free time with social media. But I am using this time to discover authors and titles. I love second-hand bookstores and romanticize books a lot. I was in San Francisco last year and I think no other place in the world has such well-curated bookstores like the ones I found there,” she states, and adds, “I also learnt to solve a Rubik’s Cube under two minutes!”

This lockdown has also been a lot about family time for the actress. “I can sit at home for weeks without getting bored. I am a family person and I love being with my parents. So, I’m grateful that I am getting time with them. My brother is studying history in the UK, and he was locked down there. But he landed here a few days ago and is self-quarantining in a hotel for 14 days, like all those who returned from foreign countries. Once he comes home, it will be great. I think your basic instinct during a pandemic like this is to pray for your family and friends to be safe and close.”

On the work front, Malavika’s

Master

, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, is ready for release. Ask her if she has any great memories from the sets of the film and she says, “Master was like a picnic, a college group project that we all had fun doing. The whole team is young and full of energy. We would have loads of fun, but at the same time, were very passionate about what we were doing. Everyone is so good at what they do. We shot outdoors in Delhi and nobody had to go home after the shoot. So we would all sit together and just talk. So, for me, the Delhi portion was a highlight.”

Malavika says she didn’t think she would end up working with Rajinikanth and Vijay this early in her career. “I think it’s like a graph, you do a certain number of films and then you work with them. But it happened early on for me in my Tamil career,” she says.

And, how was it working with Vijay? “I was ecstatic when Master happened. I mean, who doesn’t like to work with Vijay sir? He was initially very quiet on the set, but he was always sweet and approachable. He would not go to the caravan in between shots. Over time, we saw this super fun side of his. He would crack jokes and pull our legs. I have nothing but respect and admiration for him. On the first day of my shoot, I had a combination shot with him and it was a difficult scene. I was creeping out and also had first-day jitters. But he was encouraging and said I was doing great. His energy is so good. You will never hear him say anything negative about anyone. He is the poster boy of positivity,” says Malavika.

She is all praise for Lokesh, too. “He is open to inputs, your ideas. So, the whole process of shooting becomes interactive. He is damn good at what he does. I really look forward to working with him again.”

Malavika had recently called out the stereotyping of women in an artwork that depicted the Master team quarantining at home. “The artist who made it, he’s a very sweet guy. I spoke to him after the controversy. His intention was to just make a nice cartoon, and I appreciate that. He showed Vijay sir’s character listening to music, Lokesh’s character playing a video game, Vijay Sethupathi sir and Arjun Das playing a game, Anirudh playing the piano and the producer on his laptop. My question is, why is it that the only female in the house has to be depicted as cooking? See, I love cooking for people I love, and I have no problem with that. But people are missing the point. It’s important how you show women because that’s what you are propagating. If there are 10 men and 1 woman and it’s the job of only that one woman to cook, you are indirectly saying that all the mothers and wives should do only that at home. My problem was with this representation. Somebody altered my character to show I was reading, and that’s great. I really don’t know why people hit back on me for having an opinion. It’s fair to have your own opinion and it’s really immature of people to have a problem with you for having an opinion,” she signs off.

Take Five with Malavika Mohanan
Three adjectives that best describe VijaySweet, supportive and approachable

One word that Lokesh kanagaraj often uses on setIf he wants to make a point, he’ll say ‘Aey loosu, it’s not like that’. That’s his go-to term for me, too!

Two things you remember from your conversation with RajinikanthHe told me about how he practices kriya yoga. We spoke about meditation and spirituality. Also, I remember this one time, when I had a long monologue after my on-screen dad dies in Petta, I was nervous. He knew I don’t speak Tamil that well. So, he started clapping after I finished that scene. It’s wonderful to have Rajini sir clapping for you. It’s such a high!

If invisibility was your superpower, which celeb would you stalk?Ryan Gosling; I’ve a crush on him. Also, Shah Rukh Khan, because he’s enigmatic and I want to see what he does in a day.

One strange rumour you’ve heard about yourself and one that you wish were true.There was this rumour that Ishaan Khatter and I were dating. It’s absolutely untrue because like in the film we did together - Beyond The Clouds in which I play his sister – in real life, too, we have this sibling vibe. So this was very strange to read. There were these reports that I was doing a film with Ranbir Kapoor. Maybe that could become true because I love his acting.