I am a Malayali, but people in Kerala think I am a Tamil girl: Malavika Manoj

Even though Malavika Manoj made her debut in Malayalam with Prakashan Parakkatte, it was her Tamil film Joe that catapulted her to stardom. In a chat with us, the actress opens up about how social media can do wonders for a film, her onscreen pairing with Joe co-star Rio Raj and more…

‘EVEN NOW, PEOPLE REFER TO ME AS SUCHI FROM JOE’Even now, wherever I go, people refer to me as Suchi from Joe. The film didn’t have a theatrical release in Kerala and people saw the film only when it came on OTT. Before Joe, no one knew me there, but after the film was released, they started recognising me. In Kerala, most people think I am a Tamil girl; they don’t know I’m a Malayali.

‘SOCIAL MEDIA DOES WONDERS FOR A FILM’When Joe came out on OTT, several reels were being made about it, so that helped the film reach more people. Social media does wonders for a film. When a film is a hit, the Explore section on our Instagram page is filled with reels related to it. In fact, many decide to watch a film after seeing such reels these days!

‘I WAS A BIT AFRAID ABOUT DOING MY FIRST TELUGU FILM’The Joe team is like family to me. It is always great when we meet. I gained many brothers from working on that film. Everyone I have worked with has treated me well. I consider myself lucky because every team I have been part of has been like this team. I was a bit afraid about doing my first Telugu film because it is a new industry; plus, I don’t know the language and can’t even understand it. But everyone on set has been treating me just like their daughter.

‘IF THE TEAM ISN’T GOOD, WE WON’T HAVE THE INTEREST TO GO TO WORK’When it comes to acting, normally, I’ll do what I’ve been told; there aren’t any preparations involved. In Joe, during many shots, Rio and I were told, “You guys talk and we will capture that.’ So, it is nice that it wasn’t overtly planned. I believe that we should be comfortable with who we are working, so the team matters. If the script isn’t good, then the output won’t turn out well. But if the team isn’t good, we will be stressed and won’t have an interest in going to work.

‘WENT TO THE SHOOT OF MY DEBUT FILM LIKE I WAS GOING OUT ON A JOURNEY WITH FRIENDS’I never really aspired to act in movies. It was my mother who sent in my application for Prakashan Parakkatte. I didn’t even know that she had sent my photo! I got to know that I was selected only when they wanted to see me in person. I was in Class 10 at that time, and very young. I didn’t approach that film like I was going to shoot every day. I went to the location like I was going on a journey with friends, did what I was told and came back.
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