India, Jan. 22 -- Despite changing times, female-led big-budget films remain a rarity in the Indian film industry. In a recent interview, actor Malavika Mohanan spoke about this gap and shared how many producers and actors believe that female-led films do not have the same box-office pull and therefore hesitate to cast a woman in the lead of a high-budget film. Explaining why very few people have backed big-budget films led by female stars, Malavika, who was recently seen in The Raja Saab with actor Prabhas, told News18, "What a lot of male producers and actors have said in the past is that if there's a female-led film, it won't have that sort of pull, which is why they can't invest more than 'x' amount in it. That's why very few people have bet on a big-budget film led by a female star. Only a handful of such films have been made." She added, "Lokah (2025) is a big-budget film compared to Malayalam film industry standards. It was headlined by Kalyani [Priyadarshan], a relatively young woman actor. The film happened because its producers bet on it - on its content. They had faith in Kalyani, that she would be able to carry it off. It went on to make so much money at the box office. It's just that not enough producers dare to place a woman in this kind of a high-budget film. Such films are usually headlined by a male protagonist." htc...