On being a bookworm and the Wayanad tragedy You can sense an infectious excitement cloaking the nervousness in Malavika Mohanan, just days ahead of the release of her film Thangalaan . Reading, she says, helps keep her peace. “We are so exposed to screens these days and after a long day on my phone, I feel my brain getting numb.
So, reading helps reset,” she says, adding it also helps her with her acting. “Because acting is imagining. I am currently reading The Way of the World by Nicolas Bouvier.
” Whenever she finds a break, she visits the stretch between Masinagudi and Wayanad. “This intersection of the three states has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes. In central India, I favour Tadoba and Kanha for tiger sightings,” says Malavika.
The thought of Wayanad, and how the haven is still reeling from the devastating landslide , weighs heavily on Malavika. “The only land I own is in Wayanad. I have close friends there and I have worked very closely with the tribal community in Wayanad.
I was devastated to hear about the landslide, and have been organising charity donations to help out.” Malavika Mohanan as Aarathi in a still from ‘Thangalaan’ On bringing her character of Aarathi to life in ‘Thangalaan’ In Thangalaan , a period drama set in the Kolar Gold Fields, Malavika plays a fierce, magical entity named Aarathi. It’s a character based on a popular myth from the region, an aspect that infuses magical realism into this Pa.
Ranjith director.