Malavika Mohanan Shares BTS Glimpses From ‘Pocket Novel’ Shoot In Chennai. See Pics
Malavika Mohanan shared glimpses of her month-long Chennai schedule for ‘Pocket Novel’, featuring on-set memories, local food discoveries and personal city recommendations.
Indian actress Malavika Mohanan has dropped a sun-soaked photo dump on Instagram, and it doubled up as both a behind-the-scenes scrapbook from her latest film and a heartfelt little guide to the city she has been living in. The actress spent most of May in Chennai shooting ‘Pocket Novel’, the Tamil-language drama directed by Thiagarajan Kumararaja, and her carousel captured exactly what that month felt like — sweaty, hectic, and quietly joyful.
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In her caption, Malavika wrote that the shoot meant “unbearable sweltering heat,” packed schedules, and “some very challenging scenes,” but also a fair share of fun, cute memories, and “an unusual amount of mango sticky rice and Maggi.”
Check out Malavika Mohanan’s Instagram post below:
True to her word, one frame in the dump showcased a takeaway box of mango sticky rice, the creamy coconut-soaked dessert clearly having earned its place as a unit comfort food.
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‘Pocket Novel’ marks a much-anticipated reunion of Kumararaja with Vijay Sethupathi after their acclaimed ‘Super Deluxe’, with Malavika playing the female lead. The film also features Raj B Shetty and Kishore, with music by the legendary Ilaiyaraaja and cinematography by Nirav Shah.
Several of the dump’s photos pulled back the curtain on this technically rich production — a camera rig perched on its tripod inside a beautifully aged, tiled-floor set, a cinematographer framing a shot, and a crew photographer crouched beside a vintage red Leica case, lens trained right back at her.
The actress herself appeared across multiple looks that hinted at her on-screen world. There were soft, minimal makeup selfies on set — one in a teal floral kurta against a weathered courtyard, another catching golden-hour light in an ivory-and-red ensemble. The standout, though, was a striking portrait in a vivid red saree against a rust-streaked metal door, plus playful elevator mirror selfies in both that red drape and a delicate white chikankari outfit.
Candid frames of her co-stars and crew rounded out the warmth of a team that clearly bonded through the grind.
The dump also turned into a genuine Chennai recommendation list. Malavika tagged @haritam.restaurant as her current favourite restaurant — a spot celebrating the forgotten flavours of South India — sharing a wholesome spread of cutlets and idli, and named Bask (@bask.bycoffee) as her go-to café.
There was a moody black-and-white night shot of Luz Church in Mylapore, its 1516 facade glowing under a full moon; built by the Portuguese, it is reckoned to be the oldest church in the city. Add to that a set of dainty Mookuthi nose ornaments from Madras, a vintage Tamil film-music cassette, and a haunting blood-red sun sinking over the hazy Chennai skyline.
With ‘Pocket Novel’ progressing and ‘Sardar 2’ alongside Karthi also on her slate, Malavika’s dump served as a charming reminder that the actress is as invested in the cities she works in as the films she shoots there.
