Malavika Mohanan reveals why choosing Yudhra for Bollywood debut was a 'no-brainer'

Malavika Mohanan

Action is not exactly Malavika Mohanan's favourite genre. As a viewer, she enjoys romantic films, dramas and even sci-fi offerings. Yet, the actor says that director Ravi Udyawar's actioner Yudhra felt like the perfect vehicle for what she considers her Bollywood launch. "Even in an action film, my character holds her own and has agency. I love how there is a graph to the character. So, it was a no-brainer," says the actor, who featured in Majid Majidi's Beyond The Clouds (2017).

Yudhra, led by Siddhant Chaturvedi, tells the story of a man who is consumed by rage that has its roots in his past traumas. Mohanan, who predominantly works in Tamil and Telugu films, mentions she bagged this project by accident. "Rahul Dholakia [director] was in talks for a film with Excel Entertainment and he wanted me to play one of the roles. I had tested for that part. Next thing I know, I get a call from Excel that they are doing another film and are looking for its leading lady!"
Having grown up on a diet of Bollywood movies, she is thrilled to make her Hindi film debut with a mainstream fare. She admits that while shooting, she felt the pressure to live up to the larger-than-life quality of Hindi films. "I had never done a romantic lip-sync song before. I thought, ‘I have to get this right. I need to look the part and lip-sync correctly.'"