The real behind-the-scenes: Pooja Mohanraj on fighting off-camera battles on movie sets

For Pooja Mohanraj, acting may be the easiest part of being an actor. The real battle begins off camera, navigating industry hierarchies, negotiating her worth and, at times, fighting for even the most basic requirements on a film set. After a recent social media post in which she revealed that she had contemplated quitting films despite a steady stream of opportunities, the actor opened up to Onmanorama about what pushed her to that point, and what made her find her way back to the craft.

A theatre artist trained for five years at the Intercultural Theatre Institute, Pooja has built an eclectic filmography in just five years, with performances in 'Romancham', 'Aavesham', 'Maranamass' and 'Sookshmadarshini.' She credits theatre with giving her the confidence to experiment, find her voice and bring something of herself to every character.

‘I feel sometimes acting is the easiest job'
Initially, Pooja says she accepted almost every role that came her way, partly because she wanted to become familiar to audiences. But as opportunities increased, she became more conscious of repeating herself. At one point, she found herself being approached for variations of the same character.

“At a point people started calling me for shouting at husbands,” she says. “Maybe the context is different and hence we can do something differently, but still having an entourage of characters where I would shout at husbands was not something I wanted.”
She now makes a distinction between playing an archetype and being trapped in a stereotype. “There is a difference between an archetype and a stereotype. Archetype is a mother or father, for example. They have qualities. However, stereotype is how similar they are.”

Her early films also saw her repeatedly cast as a police officer, something she believes was largely because of her physicality. “In my first three films, I played a cop, which was a stereotype, because of my height,” she says. “I try to see what is the story of this human being. If there is something there, I am happy to do.”

‘Why should I always fight?’
For Pooja, the challenges of being an actor extend far beyond casting. She says newcomers often have to fight for things that should simply be part of a professional working environment. “Certain things can be provided. This is basic. You're not asking for five-star. I'm not asking for a five-star or seven-star hotel. I'm asking for a decent space.”

She recalls working on a low-budget film in another industry while dealing with a health issue. Her doctor had advised her to rest whenever she wasn't shooting, so she asked the production team to arrange a cot or some place where she could lie down. Instead, she found herself having to repeatedly push for basic arrangements. “So I had to fight from there,” she recalls.

What exhausts her, she says, is not just the inconvenience but the constant energy required to ask for basic necessities. “Every time I fight and I'm exerting this energy to always fight. Ask for this, ask for that. I feel like it's taking a toll on my health, my body. And why should I always fight?”

She says she has encountered similar attitudes more recently, even while describing the creative teams she worked with as ‘fantastic’. After a long day on set, she says, actors should simply be able to return to a comfortable space and rest. “You're tired, you're just going back to, you need rest. Yeah, you just rest. So you need a peaceful space.”

Even seemingly minor things can reveal the hierarchy on a film set. Pooja recalls how newcomers can sometimes find themselves waiting for hours for something as basic as tea. “I think every individual wants to feel powerful. And they do it in small, small ways.”
She believes establishing oneself in the industry takes time. “You have to have patience. It sort of grows slowly, slowly, slowly. It's not like one day you decide this.”

‘Young actresses encouraged to alter face features'
Pooja also believes Malayalam cinema is going through a period of transition when it comes to physicality and appearance. While newer ideas about moving beyond conventional looks are emerging, she says older expectations still exist alongside them. “I feel Malayalam is in a period of transition where everybody is trying to learn,” she says. “So the newer ideas where we say that looks don't matter or all of that is there. But simultaneously the older ways also exist.”

She says she has heard of young actresses being encouraged to undergo cosmetic or aesthetic treatments to alter features that were once considered perfectly normal. What concerns her most is the possibility of actors losing the individuality that makes them distinctive. “Sometimes face gives a lot of character because your imperfections gives you a lot of character, and now everybody is starting to look the same. And so then how do you cast for multiple roles?”
For Pooja, young actors also need to learn to establish boundaries and question what is genuinely necessary for a role. “Everything has a certain side effect also. So you should be very careful about what you're doing.”

Finding the joy again
The constant negotiations and pressures eventually began affecting Pooja's relationship with acting itself. Despite getting opportunities, she realised she was losing the joy that had brought her to performing in the first place. An economics graduate who found her way into theatre before cinema, Pooja says performing has always been what she loved most about the profession.
“The most fascinating time is that small time that you get in front of the camera where you perform. And that joy that you get by doing it.”

At one point, she even considered stepping away from films. An unexpected interaction with a delivery worker who recognised her and spoke about how much he loved her character in ‘Aavesham’ made her reconsider. The experience reminded her that the reason she entered the profession was still there; she simply needed to reconnect with it.

She has since slowed down, returned to theatre and begun working on her own projects. For her, the decision is not about abandoning cinema but about creating a healthier balance. “This year, the entire year has been like that so far, me going back to theatre, doing my own stuff, doing all of different, different things that I used to do. And to find the love for the craft again.”
For Pooja, stepping back has ultimately been about reclaiming what she had almost lost: the joy of performing.