Actor Malavika Mohanan, daughter of renowned cinematographer K.U. Mohanan has made a place for herself in Indian cinema with her versatile performances across Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi films.
Education and career shift
Born on August 4, 1993, in Payyanur, Kerala, Malavika was raised in Mumbai and pursued a degree in Mass Media from Wilson College. Though she initially considered following her father's footsteps into cinematography or exploring journalism, her career took a turn toward acting after an unexpected opportunity arose during a commercial shoot with Mammootty. This led to her debut in the Malayalam film 'Pattam Pole', where she starred opposite Dulquer Salmaan.
Breakthrough roles
Malavika quickly gained attention for her acting, especially in Majid Majidi's 'Beyond the Clouds', where she played a young woman from Mumbai's underprivileged community. The role earned her critical acclaim and established her as a talent to watch. She continued to build her career with notable roles in the Malayalam thriller 'The Great Father' and made a strong entry into Tamil cinema with 'Petta' alongside Rajinikanth, and 'Master' with Vijay, both of which were commercial successes.
Malavika is also known for her vibrant presence on social media, where she shares glimpses of her professional projects and personal interests and is also recognized for her fashion sense.
Recently, Malavika opened up about the pressures and comments she faces regarding her body. While speaking with Hauterrfly she spoke about the beauty standards across film industries, sharing how she is often told she is either too skinny or too chubby, depending on where she is working.
'Navel Obsession' and double standards
Malavika opened up about the reality of "navel obsession" in South Indian cinema, and of how much attention is paid to actresses' bodies, especially on social media.
She shared that while working in Mumbai she has put on a little weight she has listened to comments about whether she has stopped working out and after working out and having washboard abs and going to Cheanni for work she's been told that 'She lost her chub' and would look cuter with it.
She said, "Women's bodies are commented on so frequently, at one point I would get confused, should I be fit, should I be curvy? Now, I've reached a stage where I'm like, 'Be healthy, be fit'."
She further mentioned, "I used to be very perplexed earlier, too, because I've grown up in Mumbai. It was a completely new phenomenon that navels are obsessed over so much. And then you'd see pictures of actresses on social media, where they zoom into their bodies. Navel obsession is a very real thing."
On the work front, Malavika is currently filming Hridayapoorvam with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, directed by Sathyan Anthikad, with the shoot underway in Pune. She will be also seen in the comedy horror film 'The Raja Saab' opposite Prabhas.
Education and career shift
Born on August 4, 1993, in Payyanur, Kerala, Malavika was raised in Mumbai and pursued a degree in Mass Media from Wilson College. Though she initially considered following her father's footsteps into cinematography or exploring journalism, her career took a turn toward acting after an unexpected opportunity arose during a commercial shoot with Mammootty. This led to her debut in the Malayalam film 'Pattam Pole', where she starred opposite Dulquer Salmaan.
Breakthrough roles
Malavika quickly gained attention for her acting, especially in Majid Majidi's 'Beyond the Clouds', where she played a young woman from Mumbai's underprivileged community. The role earned her critical acclaim and established her as a talent to watch. She continued to build her career with notable roles in the Malayalam thriller 'The Great Father' and made a strong entry into Tamil cinema with 'Petta' alongside Rajinikanth, and 'Master' with Vijay, both of which were commercial successes.
Malavika is also known for her vibrant presence on social media, where she shares glimpses of her professional projects and personal interests and is also recognized for her fashion sense.
Recently, Malavika opened up about the pressures and comments she faces regarding her body. While speaking with Hauterrfly she spoke about the beauty standards across film industries, sharing how she is often told she is either too skinny or too chubby, depending on where she is working.
'Navel Obsession' and double standards
Malavika opened up about the reality of "navel obsession" in South Indian cinema, and of how much attention is paid to actresses' bodies, especially on social media.
She shared that while working in Mumbai she has put on a little weight she has listened to comments about whether she has stopped working out and after working out and having washboard abs and going to Cheanni for work she's been told that 'She lost her chub' and would look cuter with it.
She said, "Women's bodies are commented on so frequently, at one point I would get confused, should I be fit, should I be curvy? Now, I've reached a stage where I'm like, 'Be healthy, be fit'."
She further mentioned, "I used to be very perplexed earlier, too, because I've grown up in Mumbai. It was a completely new phenomenon that navels are obsessed over so much. And then you'd see pictures of actresses on social media, where they zoom into their bodies. Navel obsession is a very real thing."
On the work front, Malavika is currently filming Hridayapoorvam with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, directed by Sathyan Anthikad, with the shoot underway in Pune. She will be also seen in the comedy horror film 'The Raja Saab' opposite Prabhas.
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