After making a solid debut as the lead heroine in the 2015 Malayalam film Oru Vadakkan Selfie, Manjima Mohan won the hearts of Tamil audiences the following year by starring opposite Simbu in filmmaker Gautham Menon’s super-hit romance drama Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada. In 2017, Manjima co-starred with Vikram Prabhu in the under-appreciated Sathriyan, and Udhayanidhi Stalin in Ippadai Vellum. [caption id=“attachment_4200941” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Manjima Mohan[/caption] While she didn’t have a release in 2018, Manjima has lined up a bevy of interesting projects this year, including the recently released Malayalam film Mikhael, which marked her reunion with Nivin Pauly after four years. In an exclusive interaction, Manjima talks about why she signed Mikhael despite knowing that her role would be brief, starring in the Malayalam version of Kangana Ranaut’s Queen and sharing the screen with Gautham Karthik and Jiiva in a yet-to-be-titled Tamil film. “Honestly, I decided to do Mikhael only because of Nivin. Haneef, the director, had already told me that the character had very less screen presence and there was no song or substantial performing moments,” said Manjima. On teaming up with Nivin again, she said, “Nothing had changed in us since our Oru Vadakkan Selfie days; the way we pull each our legs, the way we make the entire set noisy and the retakes we take. Even Nivin had warned Haneef about how things were going to be different once both of us were on set, and he was very patient with us.” Manjima has already wrapped shooting for Devarattam helmed by director Muthaiah, known for delivering box-office hits such as Kutti Puli, and Komban. “We have completed the dubbing and the post-production works are happening now. I didn’t sign any projects after we wrapped up Zam Zam (Malayalam remake of Queen). It was after a few weeks that Gnanavel sir called me for Devarattam. I was used to producers turning me down because of my weight, but Gnanavel sir’s approach was different. He asked me to shed five kilos in a month before we went on floors.” She further added: “When Muthaiah sir asked me to shed weight without having it impact my chubby face, I was puzzled. But I still did it for my director and producer. It was after all this that I asked for a narration. After the narration, I felt the story was very relevant to what’s happening in society. I play a lawyer in the film which I haven’t done before. It’s not a typical village-girl character but a well-educated girl from a rural background. I think Gautham Karthik is too young to be this passionate about the industry. There’s not much romance or chemistry here because the hero and heroine are more like friends; the heroine helps him out in a situation.” Manjima is also part of an untitled project with Jiiva and Arulnithi, which has been directed by debutant Rajasekaran and bankrolled by Super Good Films. “Jiiva’s film has the most entertaining set I have ever been on. Also, it was their production house, and the director was a debutant, so it was complete fun,” she said. One of Manjima’s much-awaited upcoming films is Zam Zam, the official Malayalam remake of Queen. “To say that Kangana’s original version didn’t impact us at all would be a lie. The primary sense of the character is taken from the Hindi version, and we all have done what we could from our end. I have certain limitations in the film because I play a Muslim woman. We had to change some portions so that we did not end up hurting a section of the audience. We had to tone down some sequences like the toy shop scene and the drinking scene.” Ask Manjima about what the title Zam Zam refers to, she says, “When I asked my director what Zam Zam is, he said it is the holy water of Mecca. Also, the character’s name is Zama.” As our conversation veers towards Manjima’s home state and the turbulent changes the industry has witnessed in the past few months, including the formation of the WCC (The Women in Cinema Collective), she says: “Since my father is also from the film industry, I have a lot of friends in the Malayalam industry. But I am not a member of WCC yet. So I do not have a clear idea about what is happening in the association. I have heard some of the stories; I feel some of them are genuine, and some of them are just using the tag for their own benefit. Those who are coming up with the names of the perpetrators need real guts. And they deserve to be heard.”
While she didn’t have a release in 2018, Manjima Mohan has lined up a bevy of interesting projects this year including the recently-released Malayalam film Mikhael
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