Malavika Mohanan reacts to Sardar 2 co-star Karthi receiving flak over comparing her to Monica Bellucci

A comment Karthi made about Malavika Mohanan during a promotional event for Sardar 2 landed him in controversy. Know all about it.

At a promotional event for PS Mithran’s Sardar 2 last week, Karthi made a comment on Malavika Mohanan that landed him in trouble. Comparing her to Monica Bellucci, he said on stage that he had hoped the director would put her in ‘glamorous’ outfits rather than the ones she ended up wearing in the film. Malavika responded to the backlash Karthi has received since then.

Karthi and Malavika Mohanan will soon share the screen in the spy film Sardar 2.

Malavika Mohanan responds to backlash towards Karthi

On The SS Podcast, Malavika was asked about the backlash Karthi has received since he commented on her. She explained, “He has spoken to me about this, too. His thoughts on my character and all of that. What he told me was that we’re both playing spies. When we’re undercover and on a mission, we can be dressed as any character. In Mr and Mrs Smith, you’ll see Angelina Jolie doing cool stunts in a skirt and a top and doing flips in heels. Aesthetically, that juxtaposition of doing action while dressed in a very non-action attire.”

Malavika stated that Sardar 2 will see a stunt sequence featuring her and Karthi on a plane. “He thought it would be interesting for me to do the stunt sequence in a skirt. Conversations we have had, is this. To take cinematic liberty, so creatively it looks more interesting. He’s so sweet, he’s a gentleman. As heroines, we discuss our experiences with each other. One word that gets used all the time to discuss Suriya sir and Karthi sir is that they’re both such gentlemen. I haven't worked with Suriya sir, but I can vouch for Karthi sir,” she claimed.

What did Karthi say?

At the pre-release event, Karthi joked that he had hoped Sardar 2 would be more like Mission Impossible. “I am not James Bond. Because I am a spy in a lungi. Lungi will suit me. Wearing a leather jacket and riding a bike won't suit me. So, I am a jolly character,” he said.

He then spoke about Malavika and added, “The heroine, Malavika Mohanan, was like Monica Bellucci. I thought they would give her a glamorous costume. It was going to be a great scene. It was going to be a great film. Our fans will enjoy it. Not for me. I asked because my fans will enjoy it. In fact, she brought a costume. I thought it would be like Monica Bellucci. When I asked the director about this, he explained, that's not how my Sara character is.”

Karthi also stated that he asked Mithran to change her costume, but he kept insisting that Malavika’s character, Sara, would not dress like that. Sardar 2 will see Karthi and Rajisha Vijayan reprise their roles from the 2022 film Sardar. Malavika, SJ Suryah, and Ashika Ranganath are new additions to the cast. The film will be released in theatres on September 10.