For actress Malvi Malhotra, who isn’t familiar with the tongues spoken down in Southern India, shooting for films can seem daunting. But the 25-year old actress is self-assured about overcoming her inhibitions and hurdles, one day at a time. As she gears up for the release of her debut Malayalam outing ‘Abhyuham’, the actress shares her process about shooting for the thriller, her upcoming projects in South cinema and wanting to learn newer languages with Team Free Press Journal.
Playing a worker at a rubber plantation, how does Malvi view her experience, “It's an amazing experience and I'm actually loving my character in the film. The whole look and feel of the film have shaped up really well. Whenever I've shown the trailer to people around me, they've said that there is something that attracts them and urges them to watch the film. We had no idea while shooting that the film would turn out so well. But we're just going with the flow.”
She elaborates further, “I worked a lot on my character and it took a really long time to prepare for it. I had to work in the actual rubber plantations and learn rubber tapping to know how the farmers work. The brief from my director (Akhil Sreenivas) was very clear that whatever I enact on-screen should not look unnatural or appear amateur. That was one of the last shots we had taken while filming the movie because I had to practice the process every day.”
As a native of Himachal Pradesh, how challenging was it for her to embrace a new language. “The only hurdle I faced during the shoot of the film was with the food. Because I suppose Kerala is famous for its non-vegetarian fare and as a vegetarian, I did not have many options since we stayed at this dense forest area while shooting. Otherwise, I did not face any problems on-set. Everyone was very courteous and sweet. They helped me learn and prepare for my character.”
Did it feel liberating for her to shed vanity and adopt a character that is very rooted and unrecognisable? “Whenever we go for an audition, they only see if everything from the hair to the make-up is perfect or not. They see the looks and not the character. So, for the first time while shooting for Abhyuham, I felt I did not have to bother about how I looked. There was no need of make-up or touch ups. I was only there performing as a character. In other films, they want to show everything. While I understand that it is also a part of commercial cinema and this is a cult film, not chasing vanity for a change was a one-of-a-kind experience which I just can't describe in words. It's beautiful and I would love to do more Malayalam films in future.”
Malvi hails from a family that has no connections with the film industry. How crucial was it for her to possess parental support? “My family was never the kind that would dictate what their child must pursue or not. But initially, they pushed me to study medicine and I did that. But I knew that I was not cut out for this. I always wanted to pursue performing arts and I did theatre on the side while studying medicine. My parents eventually found out and understood that I was passionate about acting and since then, they've just supported me.”
Instagram: Malvi Malhotra
The young actress is also slated to mark her Telugu debut in Tiragabadara Saami and will also star in the Tamil remake of the hit Malayalam film Ring Master. Does the prospect of experimenting with different languages excite her? “Coming from theatre, it is easy for me to remember dialogues, irrespective of the language. My first scene in Tiragabadara Saami has dialogues over 3-4 pages long. Initially, I was told that the South cuts down on screentime and dialogues for actresses who don't speak the native language. But I insisted that nothing gets cut and I'm allowed to perform the entire scene as it is written. But, on my part, I'd love to learn the language because things become easier. You can improvise a lot and perform better. So, I'm deliberating between learning Telugu or Tamil over the next few months. “
As we conclude, the actress shares her wishlist of artistes and directors she hopes to collaborate with. “Of course, I'd want to work with Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran. In Tamil cinema, I want to work with Vijay Sethupathy. I love Samantha a lot. In Telugu cinema, I really admire Mahesh Babu. I hope I get a chance to work with S.S. Rajamouli, Mani Ratnam and Gautham Menon. They are amazing directors.”
