Malavika Mohanan 'navel obsession' is a real thing in south, talks about body shaming: 'Was trolled for being skinny'

Malavika Mohanan has been balancing her career between the south and Bollywood, both the industries. However, in a recent interview she has opened up on how both the industries are real and the way women are looked up by the audience. Thus, accordingly, as an actress, she is also expected to look a certain way when she's working in a Hindi movie and when she's working for a south film.She also spoke about how it took her some time to realise that the 'navel obsession' is a real thing!Malavika opened up on how she is expected to look different when she comes to Bollywood for work and how things are when she goes to Chennai. She said in an interview with Hauterrfly, “Every industry has a different idea of the ideal female body type. If I put on a little bit of weight and I come to Mumbai for work, my manager will be like, ‘You put on a little bit? You’ve stopped working out?’ And at the same time, if I’m fit and have washboard abs and I’m in Chennai, they’ll say, ‘Oh, you’ve lost your chub, you were cuter when you had your chub’. Women’s bodies are commented on so frequently, at one point I would get confused, should I be fit, should I be curvy? Now, I’ve reached a stage where I’m like, ‘Be healthy, be fit’.”The actress reveals being trolled for being skinny earlier when she joined the industry and it affected her. "I was trolled so much for being skinny. My body changed in my mid-20s. That’s when I got a little curvier. I was trolled so badly, and it was harsh! It really affected me.”Malavika who made her debut in the film Pattam Pole and starred in films such as Master, Petta, Thangalaan, further said, “I used to be very perplexed earlier, too, because I’ve grown up in Mumbai. It was a completely new phenomenon that navels are obsessed over so much. And then you’d see pictures of actresses on social media, where they zoom into their bodies. Navel obsession is a very real thing.”The actress was last seen in 'Yudhra' which also starred Siddhant Chaturvedi.