Jul 25, 2026 6:04pm IST
Malavika Mohanan on Female-Led Action Films: ‘We Can Also Have an Indian ‘Kill Bill’’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Malavika Mohanan believes the future of stronger female characters in Indian cinema begins not just with actresses but with the people who write and direct those stories. In an interview with Variety India, the actress speaks candidly about the industry’s need for more women behind the camera, why she wants to move away from “flowerpot” roles, and why she dreams of leading an Indian action film in the vein of "Kill Bill".
Need More Women Behind the Camera
Malavika points to the lack of female directors and writers as the larger issue that limits the variety of women’s roles in mainstream cinema.“The larger reality is that we don’t really have a lot of female directors and writers. Female directors are far and few, just a handful,” she says.
About the need to get more female perspective on films, she shares, “We need a lot more of the female gaze. The moment we have more female makers, I am sure some of them would write cool action roles as well. And then we can have an Indian ‘Kill Bill’.”
As an example of storytelling shaped through a woman’s perspective, Mohanan praised Kiran Rao's “Laapataa Ladies,” saying she admired not only the film itself but the way its female characters were portrayed. “It was just nice to see these lovely female characters directed by a woman through the female gaze.”
Related Stories
Building a Meaningful Filmography
While she is eager to headline an action film, Mohanan said she is now far more selective about the projects she signs than she was at the beginning of her career. “If I am just a flowerpot in a story, I have been there, done that. When you are trying to build a filmography, when you are trying to build a graph, you do the flowerpot roles. You don’t get the perfect role with the perfect director, the perfect script or the perfect actor. That’s a dream.”
Having reached a different phase in her career, Mohanan now prioritizes filmmakers and characters over everything else. “Unless I have something substantial to do, it doesn’t really call out to me. Working with good directors is something that really excites me.”
Story Comes Before Pan-India Tag
The actor also shared her biggest red flag when listening to narrations, warning against projects that chase the “pan-India” label before focusing on storytelling. “You can’t make something pan-India. You make a good film with its heart in the right place, then you distribute it and market it well. Whether it becomes pan-India is entirely up to how the audience responds.”
For Mohanan, any narration that prioritizes marketing over the screenplay is an immediate warning sign. “When people come to you pitching a mediocre story and thinking about the marketing before even thinking about the story, that is a red flag.”
She also dismissed concerns that Bollywood is in decline, describing the industry’s current phase as a necessary reset. “I don’t think anything is shutting shop. I think Bollywood is going through a phase where things have to get really bad so that good things can come in. We need better writers and better directors. It’s just a phase.”
Popular on Variety
Rethinking the Way Films Are Made
Beyond scripts, Mohanan believes the industry needs to rethink how it works. Having worked on productions across multiple languages, she praised the shorter shooting schedules common on several Tamil and Telugu sets, arguing that they create a healthier work-life balance. “I don’t think it’s a big ask to have a little bit of work-life balance,” she said. “If certain films can do it, why can’t it become an industry standard?”
Looking ahead, Mohanan said she remains drawn to filmmakers who push boundaries and create memorable characters. Alongside action films, she hopes to one day star in a sweeping romance and a grand period epic where she plays a queen or princess.
For young women hoping to enter the industry, however, her advice was simple. “You need to be really thick-skinned, and you need a lot of patience,” she said. “Things don’t happen when you want them to happen. The lows will always be more than the highs, but the highs make it worth it.”
Comments are moderated. They may be edited for clarity and reprinting in whole or in part in Variety publications.