Gearing up for the release of her debut film in Telugu, Malvika Raaj is one excited girl. Malvika Raaj who? The little girl who played young Poo (Pooja) in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham . Even as a kid, Malvika was sure that she would take up acting.
Despite several film offers, her dad put her education to the forefront and insisted ‘everything, after your graduation.’ Malvika happily completed her studies and used that time to groom herself for the camera with better confidence. “I wanted to be good in everything. To be able to meet my director’s expectations. As a child I was into many activities besides sports. I did elocution classes, speech classes, learnt dancing and all that an active excited kid would do,” she says.
Fun and games
Mumbai-based Malvika is the granddaughter of Jagdish Raj Khurana, the character actor who holds a Guinness World Record for being the most typecast actor, having played a police inspector in 144 films. Malvika grew up being fascinated with tinsel town. “I saw my grandfather going for shoots, visited him on sets, so I grew up watching the huge lights and the cameras. So, when I played Poo it was all fun and games for me. I was really excited; I am still excited about the thought of being in tinsel town,” says Malvika.
Active on Instagram, Malvika’s posts show her excitement about her debut. She was recently in Hyderabad for the audio launch of her debut movie Jayadev directed by Jayant Paranje.
“Jayant sir approached me while directing a Kannada movie a few years ago. Things didn’t work out well then and we missed the chance to work together. However, we kept in touch and discussed work now and then. Finally with Jayadev I got a chance to work with him. It was a great learning experience. I was a bit overwhelmed on the first day of my shoot because I didn’t know Telugu. But the team did their best to make me comfortable. The ADs were supportive, gave me my lines and explained scenes to me for my best shots,” says Malvika.
A remake
Malvika says her years of grooming and modelling “gave me my angles and confidence.”
Shot in Slovenia for a song and dance sequence, the movie is the remake of popular Tamil Sethupathi starring Vijay Sethupati and Ramya Nambesan.
An avid dancer, the dance sequences are what she loved the most, she giggles. “That’s because I love dancing. It is my space. Every now and then I go for these dancing workshops and have learnt hop-hop, free style, Bollywood, belly dance, Kathak — you name it chances are I would have learnt it,” she says with confidence.
Malvika is petite but her love for food is not. She confesses to be a foodie but is also very strict with her workout and fitness. “I am forever looking at what to eat where. I love taking notes about places to eat and hang out,” she says.
Is Malvika still in touch with Karan Johar? “We greet each other in parties, he never refuses to guide me when needed and is always a well-wisher. I am sure he will offer me any role if he thinks the character suits me. He is the film-maker, so he is the best judge,” she says.
