Meet the girl who stole the show from Dippy

Malavika Mohanan, daughter of legendary cinematographer KU Mohanan has primarily acted in a handful of Malayalam ventures. She made her acting debut opposite Dulquer Salmaan in Pattam Pole and followed it up with a couple of other projects in Mollywood. She also forayed into Kannada with Naanu Mattu Varalakshmi, directed by Preetham Gubbi. While her Malayalam flick, The Great Father starring Mammootty, Arya and Sneha, the three-film actress has now managed to impress the maverick Iranian director Majid Majidi!

Malvika in a still from the film

The auteur announced that his dream project Beyond The Clouds is an international project that is set in India. The film made it to the headlines when Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone was called in for a look test — and later, her pictures from the sets went viral. Reportedly, this PR stunt didn't go down too well with the filmmaker, and was the reason he started looking for a replacement. Majid then spotted Malavika and called her in for a screen-test. Impressed by her performance, he roped her in as the leading lady in the film. A source in the know reveals, “Mr Majidi found his leading lady in Malavika as he was looking for a face that could fit the character.”

Deepika auditioning for the film earlier this year

Speaking to us, Malavika says, “It is definitely a great opportunity to have bagged this project. At this point, I wouldn’t be able to reveal anything about my character except that I was signed on for the role that Deepika initially auditioned for. I have already started shooting for the film in Mumbai.”

An excited Malavika also adds, “I’m really excited as it'll be my first Hindi film. It'll also do the international circuit of film festivals, etc — and the exposure will be immense.” As described by the makers, Beyond The Clouds is a heart-wrenching story that focuses on the relationship of a brother and sister. Interestingly, the film also marks the debut of Shahid Kapoor’s brother Ishaan Khatter. While Ishaan has been shooting for the flick for a month now, Malavika joined the team only a few days ago. Also, filmmaker Goutam Ghose will also be playing a significant role in the film produced by Zee Studios and Eyecandy Films. The music for the project will be composed by A.R. Rahman.