LOS ANGELES — The full trailer for “Climax,” the Bollywood thriller starring adult star Mia Malkova and directed by cult auteur Ram Gopal Varma (RGV), has dropped today.
Malkova spoke with XBIZ about her experiences starring in a mainstream film for one of the biggest movie audiences in the world.
“I play Diane,” Malkova explained, “and Brazilian model Renan Severo plays Diego. We are a young, adventurous couple on a trip and we take a wrong turn and end up getting lost.”
The characters, Malkova continued, “drive through a road which has a ‘do not enter’ sign because their GPS is telling them that’s the right way. As they drive through the sand dunes weird occurrences start happening and they encounter… strange, scary people.”
“I’m trying to not give too much away. You’re gonna have to watch it,” Malkova laughed.
The Notorious RGV
RGV, renowned in Bollywood as a Tarantino-like stylist, really lobbied for Malkova specifically for the part.
“RGV contacted my agent at the time to book me for the film,” the star said. “He felt I had the right look. He knew he wanted to book a popular adult film star for the role. I believe he didn’t know who I was before coming across my pictures!”
RGV was interested in finding another “crossover” (from porn to mainstream) sensation, following the incredibly successful Sunny Leone. Leone transitioned from adult work to the mainstream Indian entertainment scene and is a noted pop culture icon across the subcontinent.
The director, who also wrote the “Climax” script, “is very well-known over there and made some really successful films,” Malkova said. “I’m told he’s also known for being controversial, and he ‘makes headlines’ regularly.”
RGV and Malkova “talked on the phone regarding the script, and I loved it. He knew I didn’t have much acting experience and requested that in the months before we filmed I practiced, which I did.”
Malkova said she took an acting course before, and also used YouTube videos and rehearsed her scenes at home.
“RGV was great to work with — he was very helpful and encouraging with acting,” she added.
In and Out of Bikinis
Though a noted adult performer, Malkova has had limited mainstream set experience, having only appeared in a small short film stateside.
“Bollywood was my first experience on a real set,” she told XBIZ. “They filmed the whole movie in a very short time, three weeks, and there weren’t many days off. It was definitely a lot of worked crammed into a little amount of time.”
The majority of people on set, she explained, “spoke quite a bit of English. I became really good friends with the makeup artist. Everyone was friendly, open-minded and excited to have me.”
The shoot was also physically demanding. “I noticeably lost weight during the film from running and walking up and down sand dunes everyday. And I was eating mostly sweet potatoes and mushroom soup, as I was worried about bloating.”
Malkova’s scenes feature her in bikinis, and also out of them.
“They were always early mornings,” she added. “My pickup was around 5 a.m. since there was a drive from the hotel to the location. I would wake up at 4 to shower and be ready. It was very cold on set in the mornings, but would become hot as soon as the sun came up. There were also a few night shoots, when I wasn’t wearing warm clothing and it was freezing! I would get bundled in a blanket by the fire in between takes.”
“Climax” has a release date at the end of the month. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be released on VOD.
Malkova is particularly excited about the imminent release of her music video. Bollywood films often have a musical component, and “Climax,” though a tense thriller, is no exception.
“They had someone write songs for the film, and mine is called ‘Just Do It’,” Malkova explained to XBIZ. “I lip sync it — and I danced. The thing is, I don’t dance very well!”
“The music video was shot on the first day. I had never made a music video before, and I was having trouble learning some of the dance moves. I don’t consider myself a coordinated person,” Malkova laughed.
Malkova has been on an informal hiatus from studio bookings, as she irons out some issues with her former agency. She is currently focusing on her self-made content, which she distributes through a thriving OnlyFans account.
For more from Mia Malkova, follow her on Twitter.
