“Back then, actresses hesitated to act with him; once he became superstar, every actress wanted to work with him

Mallika Sukumaran has been acting in Malayalam cinema for over five decades. She has been part of many super-hit films. In an interview with Kaumudy Movies, she spoke about her career.

Mallika Sukumaran said that when she had started acting in movies, the movies were in black and white. “Life became very good once colours were visible in movies. Nowadays black and white is only used in documentaries or short films. To be honest, I am scared to say black and white. This is a time of constant conflict. I still don’t understand what these conflicts are about," she said.

"Colour discrimination was present in not just one scene but it was prevalent. At that time some actresses were hesitant to act with Rajinikanth who is now adored all over the world. There was even a time when Kalabhavan Mani and Indrans could not get any actresses to act with them. Most top actresses hesitated to work with them," she added.

"If you ask if it’s all based on colour, there’s something called glamour as well. Cinema is a glamourous field. If anybody felt a lack of glamour, they might have thought of it as a difficult,” Mallika said.

"What we saw though is Rajinikanth being praised and celebrated all around the world. All the beautiful actresses then wanted to work with him. Kalabhavan Mani missed out on a National Award but what about Indrans? It’s only now that the actresses want to work with him. That is because he has gotten praise from all over the world. What I am trying to say is that colour is not important," she added.

"There is nothing in colour. It is just a misconception. Talent is important. Whatever talent it is, whatever art form it is, colour is not a problem for their growth. I have acted in a lot of black and white films. I won my State Award for a black and white film," Mallika Sukumaran said.