Women actors seeking directors who don’t place them as dolls, says Malavika Mohanan

Mumbai: When she was approached for Thangalaan, actor Malavika Mohanan says she knew little about the story but what got her on board was Pa Ranjith's credibility as a director who writes strong roles for women.

Playing Aarathi, a fiery and gifted woman who comes to blows with Vikram's Thangalaan in the Tamil period drama, was one such opportunity for the actor who wanted to "break out" of portraying one-note characters.

Thangalaan, slated to be released in north India in Hindi on September 6, is set in the backdrop of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) of Karnataka and based on real-life incidents in the 18th and 19th centuries.

"Initially, when they approached me for the film, I knew about the project, and not really about the story and script, I knew that it was a Pa Ranjith and Vikram film. I was well aware of the fact that he is one of the filmmakers who writes very strong roles for women."

"He is such a prolific filmmaker. As women, we are also seeking those few makers who don’t place us just as dolls in scenes, I’ve done a few of those films in the recent past. I wanted to break out of this clutter and work with makers who do the opposite of that. I was very keen from the get-go before I knew about the story or the script," Malavika told PTI in an interview here.

The actor, known for films such as Beyond the Clouds, Petta, and Master, said the process of bringing Aarathi to life involved a considerable amount of on-the-spot improvisation and intense preparation.

"When I read the story, there were a lot of mixed emotions because I didn’t have a point of reference for a character like that in Indian cinema. There was a lot of curiosity about how he (Ranjith) would bring Aarathi to life, how she was going to look, and how she was going to be."

"Like, I would do something and he would be like, ‘Don’t do this, do this, don’t scream like that, scream like this, open up a lot more, be a lot wilder’. He had to systemically break down my body language from being feminine, dainty and being more ferocious and wilder. It was a long and challenging process, unlike anything that I’ve ever done," she added.

Thangalaan, which had its release in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam on August 15, has amassed over Rs 100 crore at the worldwide box office.

Malavika said she is happy with the response the movie has been receiving both at the ticket window and with the critics.

“It’s been a little more than a week since our film was released. This is one of those films where we opened to crazy numbers worldwide, and then at the same time there was a lot of appreciation coming our way for our performances, the kind of characterisation. People are like, ‘We never expected to see you like that’. There was a flurry (of responses) that came in. It's a little bit of both, which feels good."

Produced by Studio Green Film’s K. E. Gnanavelraja, Thangalaan also stars Parvathy Thiruvothu, Pasupathy and Daniel Caltagirone.