Malvika Sharma has set her sights on acting at a very young age and was part of several commercials. She is looking forward to the release of her debut movie Nela Ticket starring Ravi Teja. In the film, she plays someone who is absolutely like her in her real-life character.
“I play Malvika, a medical student, who is tomboyish by nature and is a character quite close to me as a person. When director Kalyan Krishna narrated the story, he asked me to be my real self. Working for Nela Ticket was a blast and the challenge was to do something so diametrically different from what I did in the past.”
The Mumbai girl reveals that she didn’t wear any make-up for about 50% of the film. “Kalyan Krishna asked me to go make-up free for some scenes to stay true to the character. So, you will see me defying traditional customs of a heroine and hardly wear any foundation.”
While speaking about how she prepared for the role in Nela Ticket, “My director used to give me the scene paper a day before the shoot. The lines used to be in English but to get the act right, I used to take the help of the assistant directors to understand the dialogues and their meaning.”
Not many people knew that Malvika met with an accident during the production. “I had to drive a scooter and an auto-rickshaw in the film. So, I went back to Mumbai and learnt to ride a scooter. But, I fell off from the vehicle and got injured. That time I used to be really anxious about why it happened to me in my first film and worried of how will I cope up myself with this so that it doesn’t force the makers to delay the shoot. Also, another apprehension was what if I won’t be able to perform or dance just because of this injury? Luckily, it took me 10 days to recover and get back to work.”
Talking about the experience of shooting for Nela Ticket, she explains it was a great learning experience. “Like any other non-Telugu girl, learning the language is challenging. Also performing emotional scenes and adapting myself to dance movements was difficult. But, shooting for the film instilled a lot of confidence in me that I want to dub for myself in my second film.”
She took a break from her film promotions to take her exam for first-year Law in Mumbai (She is an LLB student). “Being a student, I never carried any books to sets and I do all the grind for my exams only in Mumbai only if I’m not shooting. In a way, Hyderabad is for work and Mumbai is for education (smiles). At the same time, I’m a chilled-out person and likes to party with my friends.”
Malvika isn’t well aware of the appreciation she has received for her looks and screen presence in the Ravi Teja-starrer. “A lot has changed around me. It’s thrilling to see my poster on the hoardings. Whenever I visit Hyderabad, I get a feeling that people have accepted me and gave me a career in Southern film industry. I respect the city and its people for making my dream come true.”
Recalling an incident during her initial days, she adds, “When I started my career, people told me you are not a heroine material. They used to tell me you are neither Katrina (Kaif) nor Aishwarya (Rai Bachchan). Honestly, I don’t know about the feedback I’ve got but it feels happy to hear people praising me for my looks and call me a perfect fit for Malvika’s role. I’m hoping to get more attention after the film’s release.”
On working with Ravi Teja, she says, “He is such a humble person with no starry tantrums. He is an experienced actor but didn’t show off and has been supportive.”
The starlet has her reservations in choosing a role. “I intend to keep a few aspects which I’m not comfortable at all at bay. I will not do kissing scene on-screen and I don’t think I have the body to sport a bikini.”
Malvika has decided to take one step at a time. “I will be glad if I get an opportunity to work in all the languages. For now, I had been signed up for a film to be directed by Praveen Sattaru. I play the leading lady opposite Ram and I’m waiting for the film to start rolling,” signs off Malvika.
— Murali Krishna CH
muralikrishna.db@newindianexpress.com