Malvi Malhotra was in the news after being stabbed by producer Yogesh Kumar Singh for allegedly rejecting his marriage proposal. The 23-year-old Udann actress was rushed to a suburban hospital and discharged two days ago. The latest development is that Singh has been remanded to judicial custody. Malvi says, “I am feeling better now. The first thing we did after I returned home was say a prayer. My parents are with me. They are scared to leave me alone and want to ensure that I am safe. They have told me that they want someone to be with me all the time.”

The gruesome attack has not deterred Malvi from continuing her career in showbiz. And while her parents are justifiably worried, they aren’t asking her to quit either. The actress says, “My parents won’t stop me from working. My father told me, ‘all we want is your security. Darr ke mat jiyo, but apni security bhi rakhna bohot zaroori hai’. Even the Mumbai police have offered to provide me with security for two months till the case is on.”

While the actress is back home, it will take a couple of months for her to recover and get fit enough to resume work. “It will take me about two months to recover. My left hand was severely injured, as my little finger was almost dislodged due to the knife attack. The medical team performed two surgeries on the finger. Judd hi nahi rahi thi. Thodi si bach gayi thi because of which it was there. Had that not been the case, I would have lost my little finger. The doctors somehow managed to put it together after two surgeries,” she says.

Continuing, Malvi says, “For the time being, I have to keep my hand suspended high up to avoid any swelling. Once my stitches heal, I will undergo four weeks of physiotherapy, to primarily regain strength and movement in that finger. The cut on my right hand is very deep. The knife incision in my stomach was about 1.5 inches. It will take some time for the wounds to heal.”

All Malvi wants to do now is to recover and return to the set soon. She says, “Fortunately, I had been shooting nonstop ever since shoots resumed post the lockdown. I shot for a music video in July in Banaras and another one in September. I went to Dubai for work, too. I was scheduled to shoot the remaining portion of my Tamil film in November, which is on hold now because of this incident. However, my director and team have been very considerate. They told me that they would wait for me to recover and resume the shoot. I had to begin shooting for a Telugu film in January. I just hope that they don’t cast another artiste for my part. I think I will be fine once I start working. I am trying to stay positive because that will aid my recovery.”

Malvi has vowed to learn self-defence post her recovery. “Fear toh hai. Aagey bohot precautions lekar chalna hai. Par main apni zindagi darr ke nahi jee sakti. I have to be brave. My dad has told me to learn self-defence, so that I am better prepared to face any untoward incident and take care of myself. I want to be physically strong so that I am able to fight if anything unfortunate happens. I pity the person who did this to me. It shows his criminal bent of mind. All I seek now is justice.”