Honey Rose on the ‘attack’ on Mohanlal’s Monster: ‘It hurts a lot if it doesn't come from a place of respect’

While Mohanlal and Pulimurugan director Vysakh’s Monster was much anticipated, the hype gave way to an avalanche of criticism, from both critics and the audiences, after the film’s release in theatres last year.

Malayalam actress Honey Rose, who played a pivotal character in the movie, opened up to OTTplay in an exclusive chat about how she felt the movie was trolled and “attacked” unnecessarily on social media. The actress, who was also part of Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Veera Simha Reddy earlier this year, said she is aware that the reach of superstar-driven films is huge and consequently, the criticism aimed at them too.

Also read: Honey Rose: Cinema doesn’t need me, I need cinema and that’s why I am clinging to it 

“If it’s constructive criticism, it helps. But often, that’s not how the majority of our social media reacts. The bigger the target, the more the stone-pelting. We can’t do anything about that,” she says.

Also read: Monster movie review: Mohanlal, Honey Rose's experimental thriller yields mixed results 

The actress also explains that she “didn’t have to face anything like this” for Veera Simha Reddy. “The Telugu audience like and enjoy these kinds of films,” she says. “In case of Monster, it was an experimental film and there was a massive attack on social media against the film.”

Honey, who had also shared screen space with Mohanlal in Ittymaani: Made in China and Big Brother, says that the number of comments on the film also made her doubt the authenticity of many of the posts.

“A week after its release, I think everyone on social media reviewed the film; even those who had never done it before. After that, I doubt there was another film that incited so much discussion because there hasn’t been such an attack since.”

On her reaction to these, the actress says, “At times, it hurts a lot because we put in a lot of hard work. You can review a movie, but do it in a constructive manner that encourages healthy discussions. Everybody has the choice to like or dislike a film; it stems from their personal interests. But if the feedback comes from a place of respect, it will be easier to understand and improve.”

Despite the backlash, Honey, who played a lesbian character in the movie, also opines that she never had any qualms accepting the offer to play the role in film, which is scripted by Udaykrishna and also had Lakshmi Manchu making her Malayalam debut. "It was a character with a lot of layers and intricacies. All I thought about was how well I can perform," she says.

Also read: Exclusive! Lakshmi Manchu: Mohanlal’s Monster gave me a chance to push myself and step out of my comfort zone 

The actress, meanwhile, will next be seen in Anandhini Bala’s Rachel, which is also co-produced by Abrid Shine. She says that “it’s a movie and character that people don’t expect from me”. The film, which is set to go on floors in September, will also be released in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.