The daughter of actors Jayaram and Parvathy recently made her début as a model. However, Malavika Jayaram is a bit surprised that she has also entered the world of fashion. Maybe it was inevitable. Her father is one of the biggest stars in Malayalam cinema, her mother was one of the popular heroines of the 1980s and the 90s while her brother, Kalidas is among the busiest young actors.
Her campaign for Kochi-based Milan Designs has been received well. “I am glad that my first ad campaign is for saris,” says Malavika. “I have always loved wearing saris and never missed an opportunity to raid my mother's vast collection, while I was a student at Stella Maris College in Chennai.”
From Chennai she moved to Wales to do her Masters in Sports Management. “I have always loved sport,” she says. “I used to play football and follow the game closely. Cristiano Ronaldo is my favourite player and Real Madrid is my favourite team. At the last World Cup though, I was cheering for Belgium, which was pretty unlucky not to have won the title.”
Growing up, she wasn’t as keen about films as she was about sport. “I would watch a film only when I was told by my friends that it was very good,” says Malavika. “I was indeed quite unlike my brother (Kalidas), who wanted to act even when he was little. I remember him telling my father that he would act when a child actor pulled out from a film.”
So when is Malavika going to make her acting début? “I am getting offers,but I am in no hurry,” she says. “I want to start my career with a strong role; I don't want to be just a glam doll.” She will happily do more ads, though. “Before I started shooting for the Milan ad, I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy modelling, but I have found that I did,” she says. “I was apprehensive to begin with, but the entire team at the location, in Mysore, made me feel comfortable.”
The feedback has been rather good, too. “People have liked my pictures,” she says. “Because of my height I guess I could carry off saris well. My father also likes to see me in saris. He actually tears up when he sees me in saris, realising that his little girl has grown up.”
She has seen most of Jayaram’s movies. “My favourite from his films is Nadan ; I thought he was brilliant in it,” she says. “I also enjoy watching his fun films like Friends .”
What about her mother’s films?
“I haven’t watched any of her movies in full,” she smiles. “I have watched scenes from her films, though.”
So who is her favourite actress?
“Aishwarya Rai, always,” she says. “I don’t think there is anybody like her. She is my fashion icon too. And fashion is something I have always been interested in. But even though I was following fashion, I hadn’t considered modelling as a career option.”
