Malavika Mohanan recently opened up about the "naval obsession" prevalent in the South Indian film industry, along with the body-shaming experiences she has faced in both Southern cinema and Bollywood. In an interview with Hauterfly, the 31-year-old actress reflected on how perplexing it was to grow up in Mumbai and later encounter the intense focus on actresses' navels in Southern films. She described how pictures of actresses would often zoom in on their bodies, making the obsession with navels a "very real thing."
Mohanan also discussed her struggles with body image and how she would often find herself balancing between looking curvier or leaner when choosing roles in both the Hindi and South Indian film industries. Recalling her early years in the industry, she shared, "When I did my first film, I was 21 at that time. I was trolled so much for being skinny. My body changed in my mid-20s. That’s when I got a little curvier. I was trolled so badly, and it was harsh! It really affected me."
She described the criticism she received for her physique, saying she was often called "skin on bones" and told to "get some weight." The trolling sometimes went beyond these "polite" comments, with more degrading remarks, which left a lasting emotional impact. "When you make a person feel bad about their body at an impressionable age, it is not a good thing, you are just bullying them," Mohanan added, highlighting the harmful effects of body-shaming.
Malavika Mohanan will next be seen in "The Raja Saab," starring Prabhas, and "Sardar 2," alongside Karthi, both of which are eagerly awaited by her fans.
