Behindwoods
January 27, 2005

Remember the docile village belle in the Parthiban-starrer, Vetrikkodi kattu? Well, well she has indeed come a long way and we caught up with her on location at Ayya jiving with Sarathkumar. What does she feel about being slotted as a glam doll doing the song-and-dance routine?

“I did a nice role in VKK. Sadly, such characters have not come by of late. My dream is to do meaty roles like Revathy and the ultimate would be that of ‘Nilambari’ in Padayappa”. Now, she does play a part in Superstar Rajinikanth’s latest offering Chandramukhi.

Talking of her role, Malavika says, “I don’t play Rajini’s heroine but that of an important member of his family. It was an educative experience working with Rajini sir. His sincerity and humility is extraordinary. He would come in a simple kurta-pyjama to the sets but donning the make-up and in front of the camera he would be transformed and his stylish antics were mind-boggling. No wonder his fans, including yours truly, would blow a whistle on seeing him on screen. He was very friendly and approachable with a wonderful sense of

humor. He even complimented me on my fair complexion. Remember my song ‘karupputhan enakku pudicha coloru’ in which I say ‘superstar Rajinikanth kooda karupputhan’ which made the song zoom up in popularity.”

She is seen in several ad films these days so much that she would give any leading model a run for her money. On her foray into modeling she says, “I started out as a model and progressed to movies. Working in advertising is a very very professional experience. Your schedules are strict and you get your payment on time. But in movies, I still have to receive my dues for some of my assignments. Isn’t that sad?”

You also get a glimpse of her ferociousness when prodded about the distasteful incident with Rajendra Prasad of Telugu industry. She roars, “That gentleman is as old to be my father. He was fine for the first few days but his behaviour was uncouth. But I am not the one to take it lying down. I brought it to light so that it serves a warning to others.”

That’s Malavika for you - a woman of substance.