“Ari ari ari, nindiya pyari…” The soft strains of this lullaby take on a sinister edge as the hazel-eyed antagonist, Mallika Prasad Sinha, commands the screen in Mardaani 3. As the formidable Amma, a character she succinctly labels a “queenpin”, Mallika delivers a masterclass in vocal versatility, weaponising her voice to transform a few lines into something truly spine-chilling. In an exclusive interaction with mid-day, Mallika takes us through her journey of becoming a villain, which in her words was her tribute to DC’s Joker.
Playing a baddie is more fun
Mallika is hardly a stranger to the big screen. From her lead role in the 1999 National Award-winning Kanooru Heggadithi to her turn as Zubeida in Netflix’s Killer Soup, her portfolio is extensive. Yet, it is Mardaani 3 that has truly catapulted her into a new league. “Any actor will tell you that playing a baddie is more fun,” she notes with a laugh. “When I was offered the role, it was simply exhilarating. It was also at a time when the character was being shaped.”
Using voice as a weapon
Mallika, who is also a voice and acting coach, used her craft to the fullest for Amma. Mind you, she doesn’t sound anything like what you’ve heard in Mardaani 3. Ask her what the trick is, and she explains, “It`s the organic interaction between you, your material, and how you connect to it. Voice is such a beautiful aspect of performance. It’s what’s inside your imagination, in your emotional world, that enables you to express yourself to other people well.”
A tribute to DC’s Joker
If you’ve watched the film, Mallika breaks into an unsettling dance while manipulating the girls she has kidnapped. This, she says, was her tribute to DC’s iconic villain Joker. “There was a little bit of that. It`s also something that I drew from my mother. So, it was very important for me to make Amma someone who was human. I couldn’t do something pure villainy,” she concludes.
