Ahead of 'Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi' heading to the theatres on March 17, Malvika Nair is in a happy space. She worked on the movie for almost four years with gaps. The love story's shoot had to be halted for more than a year due to the pandemic. Scenes that had to be shot in the US had to be shot in the UK. Malvika, who shot to fame with 'Yevade Subrahmanyam' in 2015, feels that the long gap worked out in her favour.

In an interview on Monday, she suggested that working in a coming-of-age love story meant something special. "Watching the trailer for the movie, more than as an artist, I was looking at the film from the perspective of having worked with a skilled filmmaker like Srinivas Avasarala (of 'Oohalu Gusagusalade' and 'Jyo Achyutananda' fame). 'PAPA' is about the journey of a man and a woman over a course of one decade," she starts off by saying.

Sanjay (Naga Shaurya) and Anupama (Malvika) exchange a lot of vibes as college-goers. Their love story is told till they turn the age of 28. "I am more attuned to relate to Sanjay than Anupama in real life," the 'Kalyana Vaibhogame' actress says.

Talking about her real-life persona, she reveals, "I am caring and giving in real life. Causing hurt to me results in my moving away from them."

There are indications that the multilingual actress finds her character in 'PAPA' to be substantial and meaty. The teaser and trailer suggest that even the conversations between Sanjay and Anupama are portrayed in a realistic and natural manner, without resorting to formulaic or clichéd dialogue commonly found in films.

"The conversations are not dramatic. It is difficult for me to give filmy acting. It is difficult for me when I am asked to dramatize," she indicates, suggesting that she likes to behave naturally in front of the camera.

Director Srinivas Avasarala's movies don't play to the gallery and also abide by narrative realism. What is 'PAPA' like? "There are no emotions that you can't relate to in the movie," she says, suggesting that the movie is not a sermonizing one.

The film has also been described as an exploration of human behaviour. Malvika suggests that men and women tend to behave differently at different ages, something 'PAPA' brings out in an organic fashion.

Malvika likes to be seen as a performance-oriented actress. For 'PAPA', workshops were held to help the lead actors get into the specific space of their characters. The actress enjoyed such an endeavour, especially given Srinivas Avasarala is a clear-minded director. "The scenes are different from typical love stories. My character is not that of a rare girl; as the title shows, she is just a 'phalana ammayi'. But certain aspects make her different," Malvika says. There is a hint that this love story has to be watched as a serious movie.

She values what others say about her eyes. "People say my eyes look beautiful. I didn't put in any special effort for them," Malvika says, suggesting that it is in her genes.

After completing graduation in Political Science, Malvika is now doing Masters in Philosophy. She believes that 'Naatu Naatu' winning the Oscar is special, especially because the song doesn't portray a povertarian view of India.