Malavika Mohanan recalls chilling eve-teasing incident in Mumbai local train where a stranger asked her for a kiss

Malavika Mohanan spoke about everyday challenges faced by women in public and recalled a disturbing incident which took place a few years ago.

Actor Malavika Mohanan opened up about women's safety in a city like Mumbai. Speaking to Hauterrfly in a new interview, the actor said that now that she has her own car and driver, she can vouch for the fact that the city is safe, but the scenario is different for the women who are out there, and it depends on luck at times. She then went on to share an unfortunate incident that occurred with her a few years ago on a local train. (Also read: Malavika Mohanan admits ‘navel obsession’ is very real in South films, recalls being trolled for being too skinny)

Malavika Mohanan opened up about facing harassment in a Mumbai local train.

What Malavika said

During the interaction, Malavika shared her take on how safe the city is for women, and said, “People often say Mumbai is safe for women, but I would like to correct that perception. Today, I have my own car and a driver. So if someone asks me if Mumbai is safe, I might say yes. But when I was in college and used to travel by buses and trains, I didn’t feel safe. Often, you had to rely on luck. Travelling involves taking a risk.”

‘The three of us froze’

She went on to add, “I remember that once I and two of my closest friends. We were coming back in a local train. And I think it was 9.30 pm. And we were in first class. So, the compartment was quite empty. There was actually nobody else except for the three of us. And we were sitting, like, close to one of the window grills, right? And this man, just like he sees the three girls sitting, comes very close to the grill, kind of like sticks his face on the grill, and he’s just like, ‘Ek chumma degi kya? (Will you give me a kiss)?' The three of us just froze. At that age, you don't even know how to retaliate in those situations? What if he just jumps inside the train?”

Malavika shared that if we ask any woman who travels in public, they will share countless such stories, and no place feels fully safe.

Fans will see Malavika with Prabhas in the Telugu film The Raja Saab.