Malavika Mohanan calls out Hindi cinema's neglect of writers, praises South films’ rise, and shares insights on style and social media while speaking at NewsX We Women Want Conclave and Shakti Awards 2025. Photo/NewsX.
At the NewsX We Women Want Conclave & Shakti Awards 2025 in New Delhi, acclaimed actor Malavika Mohanan sparked a crucial conversation about the evolving landscape of Indian cinema, especially the Hindi film industry’s neglect of writers and good scripts in recent years.
“I believe the Hindi film industry does not give writers its due importance at least of late,” Malavika said, drawing from her deep-rooted experience growing up watching Bollywood classics.
“We’ve grown up on such fabulous cinema in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, but of late, since the last five, six, seven years, we haven’t had a lot of good scripts at all.”
She highlighted the core issue, an industry failing to nurture and adequately pay its writers.
“People are not paying writers what they deserve. If you’re willing to pay your male actor crores and crores of rupees, you can’t be paying your writer peanuts and expect that to turn into a good film. That’s not how it works. Hindi film industry needs good writers.”
Malavika also touched upon the glaring pay disparity between male and female actors, subtly pointing out the systemic inequalities still prevalent in Bollywood.
Responding to questions about the recent surge in South Indian cinema’s pan-India success, Malvika described it as “a wave because a lot of South films have commercially worked since the last couple of years.”
While acknowledging the quality of southern films, she clarified that this current trend is rooted in consistent box-office successes, supported by better scripts and production values. “The South trend happening right now is because these films have struck a chord with audiences commercially.”
Apart from cinema, Malvika was felicitated with the NewsX Shakti Award for excellence in style.
Describing her style, she said, “It really depends on the mood. On a date, something as simple as a lovely cotton sari with my mother’s tiny jumgkas, and on some days, a cool power suit.”
She candidly shared how she manages style pressures in today’s hyper-visual world, especially under constant camera scrutiny, “I pre-decide my outfits and keep my wardrobe set for the week in advance. It saves a lot of time and anxiety.”
Malavika also elaborated on the significance of social media in modern acting careers. “Social media has become an extremely important and relevant tool. In the formative years of my career, social media helped me land roles. A director cast me after seeing a photoshoot I had done online.”
However, with social media’s benefits come the challenges of trolling and anxiety. Malavika shared her own experience of being trolled early in her career for her appearance in a Malayalam film, “People called me ‘skin and bones’ when I was very young and still in college. It was hard to cope with at that age.”
She admitted that over time, such experiences build resilience.
“Now I have such thick skin, someone could say nasty things to my face, and I’d just walk away.”
Looking back, Malavika considers her collaboration with Oscar-nominated Iranian director Majid Majidi on Beyond the Clouds as a game-changer. “That film changed everything for me. It got me noticed by directors across India and helped me get cast in many films.”
Malavika also spoke about her multi-lingual career, navigating films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi. “I think it’s a great time to be an actor. Good work is happening everywhere, and language isn’t a barrier anymore. If it’s a good film, people pan India will watch it.”
She explained the rise of pan-India films is aided by information technology and social media, which enable real-time word of mouth across regions.
However, she cautioned against the idea that one can manufacture a pan-India film by packaging alone.
“You can’t just make a ‘pan-India’ film. You have to make a good film and hope it reaches audiences across languages and regions.”
In a rapid-fire round, Malavika revealed her personal favorites: mountains over beaches, invisibility as a desired superpower, and English literature as her favorite school subject. She confessed a childhood dream to be a documentary filmmaker and that her go-to show when feeling heavy isFriends. Her last holiday was to Mexico, which she loved.
Asked to choose among Telugu, Malayalam, or Hindi film industries, she refused to pick favorites, saying, “They’re all amazing.”
On fashion, she said,“Go with something that reflects who you are and your personality, not blindly follow trends.”
WATCH FULL CONVERSATION HERE:
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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