Malavika Mohanan Stresses The Importance Of Women Directors In Cinema: Need Female Gaze

Malavika

Mohanan, who has shared screen space with stars such as Thalapathy Vijay, Rajinikanth and Mohanlal, has opened up about her desire to see more female representation behind the camera in Indian cinema. She believes meaningful change for women on screen cannot be driven by actresses alone. In a recent interview, the actor spoke about the industry's lack of women in creative roles, her desire to move beyond stereotypical flowerpot characters, and her dream of starring in an action film inspired by Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. She also praised Laapataa Ladies for portraying women through an authentic female perspective.

Malavika Mohanan says Indian cinema needs more female filmmakers

Malavika Mohanan believes the biggest hurdle to better representation of women in Indian cinema is the lack of female writers and directors. Speaking to Variety India, she said actresses alone cannot bring about meaningful change unless more women are involved in shaping stories behind the scenes. She also said the industry has only a handful of female filmmakers, limiting the diversity of stories and characters available to women on screen. "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 said.

The actor explained that increasing the number of women behind the camera would naturally lead to richer female characters and even open doors for genres that have traditionally sidelined women."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," she added. Malavika has previously spoken about wanting to move away from stereotypical 'flowerpot' roles and take on characters that are more substantial and physically demanding.

Malavika Mohanan's Review Of Laapataa Ladies

While discussing films that successfully present stories from a woman's perspective, Malavika singled out Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies. She said she admired the way its female characters were written and portrayed, crediting the film's female perspective for making the characters feel authentic. "It was just nice to see these lovely female characters directed by a woman through the female gaze," she said.Malavika Mohanan was last seen in a special cameo appearance in Idhayam Murali, which released on July 10. Directed, co-written and produced by Aakash Baskaran under the Dawn Pictures banner, the film stars Atharvaa in the titular role alongside Preity Mukhundhan and Kayadu Lohar. She will soon be seen opposite Karthi in Sardar 2, and Vijay Sethupathi in Pocket Novel.