Malvi Malhotra: I was able to connect emotionally with my character in Abhyuham

Young actress Malvi Malhotra, who is known for her roles in films like Hotel Milan and Udaan, is all set to debut in Malayalam films through the film Abhyuham. The actress, who plays a woman who is a rubber tapper in the film, spoke exclusively with OTTplay about her experience of working in the film and more.

“The director and the team of Abhyuham approached me after seeing an audition video I had given for a Tamil film.  My character in Abhyuham and her lifestyle were unfamiliar to me. I studied the rubber tapping work by observing real workers and practised it for a week before the shooting began. The director insisted that my performance and appearance be natural,” Malvi said.

When asked if she had any hesitations working in an unfamiliar language, she said that the script of Abhyuham and her character were so well fleshed out that she overcame all her limitations.

“The director told me to focus on the emotions that the character goes through. The script was extremely detailed, and my character was beautifully sketched. I was able to connect with the character emotionally,” the actress says.

Malvi is now working on the Tamil remake of actor Dileep’s film, Ringmaster. Saying that she is an ardent follower of Malayalam films, Malvi said, “I have watched Ringmaster in Malayalam and found the script amazing. I recently watched Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey and loved the story and performances of all the actors. I have found that in Telugu films, they sometimes make certain scenes larger than life for commercial reasons, but that is never the case with Malayalam films. Here, the script is king. There is a lot to learn from Malayalam films.”

Malvi's other projects include the web series Chasmish and an OTT release, Zorawar di Jacqueline, in Hindi. The motion poster of her next Telugu film, Tiragabadara Saami, released recently.

Abhyuham is directed by Akhil Sreenivas and also stars Ajmal Ameer, Rahul Madhav, Kottayam Nazeer, and Athmeeya Rajan. It will release in theatres on July 21.