May 25, 2026 7:02pm IST
Malavika Mohanan on Mammootty Launching Her Career: ‘I Owe the Entire Journey to Him in a Sense’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Long before Malavika Mohanan became a familiar face across industries, before she moved from Malayalam cinema to major Tamil and Hindi projects, nd before films like “Beyond the Clouds,” “Petta,” “Master” and “Thangalaan,” there was one unexpected meeting that changed everything. She was not auditioning. She was not planning a career in films. She was simply on a set.
In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, Malavika Mohanan looked back at the beginning of her journey and recalled how Malayalam superstar Mammootty unexpectedly became the person who opened the first door for her in the industry.
Mohanan, daughter of cinematographer K. U. Mohanan eventually made her acting debut opposite Dulquer Salmaan in “Pattam Pole” (2013). But according to the actor, the opportunity only arrived after Mammootty noticed her during a shoot and recommended her name while a female lead was being cast opposite his son.
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For Mohanan, the memory remains deeply personal. She said, “Oh, that was so precious. Mammootty Sir is one of my all-time-favorite actors. He’s such an absolute legend. And he happened to be shooting an ad on a set I was visiting. He spotted me and they were casting for a film with his son, Dulquer Salmaan. And they were looking for a girl. I don't really know how it works right now, but for a very long time, casting in Malayalam films happened like, You know, someone who knows someone who looks the part. Casting works in that way.”
That recommendation eventually led Malavika Mohanan toward “Pattam Pole,” directed by Alagappan N., marking the actor's first screen appearance. Today, with a career that stretches across multiple industries and major collaborations, Mohanan still views that beginning as one of the defining moments of her life.
“And he saw me and he recommended me to a couple of directors who Dulquer was working with. And that's how I landed my first gig. It feels really special that it was courtesy Mammootty sir. I think that's a kickass start to have to a career. So yeah, I owe the entire journey to him in a sense.”
The story becomes more surprising because Mohanan says she entered films without preparation. No acting school. No theatre background. No roadmap. In an industry where debut stories are often attached to years of training and planning, Mohanan says she simply jumped into the unknown.
“Oh, I wasn't prepared at all. It was a deep dive. I had no training in acting. I look back at my first film and I am like, ‘Oh my God, I can't believe I went and did that’. I should have just trained. I should have just done a better job, but I didn't know.”
Malavika Mohanan adds, “And then my entire career has been a graph of trying to crack it, trying to figure it out, trying to learn the craft, trying to just get better and better.”
Mohanan's career did not unfold overnight. It evolved film by film. Her Hindi breakthrough with Majid Majidi's “Beyond the Clouds” brought her a different kind of attention, while projects like “Petta,” “Master” and later performances expanded her reach across industries.
But when she looks back now, Malavika Mohanan does not seem to remember the uncertainty as much as the magnitude of the moment itself. She said, “But now, when I look back, I'm like, Oh wow. That was quite something.”
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