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Cithara Paul
Cithara Paul

INTERVIEW

I no longer want to act in real life: Parvathy

actress-parvathy-photo-rijo-joseph Actor Parvathy | Rijo Joseph

Actor Parvathy mesmerises with her brilliant performances, and her talent received its rightful recognition at the 2017 International Film Festival of India (IFFI), where she bagged the prestigious Silver Peacock award. The Qarib Qarib Singlle actor also has a non-conformist, rebellious side that has raised heckles in the Malayalam film industry. She shocked the traditionalists by publicly disavowing her upper-caste surname. She raised many eyebrows in Mollywood by talking loudly about the prevailing casting couch. And, she refuses to be diplomatic in her criticism of misogyny in the performances of her colleagues, co-workers, or superstars. Neither death nor rape threats sway her convictions.

In a recent incident, when she called out the anti-women dialogues in a movie which starred Malayalam superstar Mammootty, his fans descended in droves and she was subjected to weeks of online abuse and harassment. Curiously, the actor still remains silent on the issue. The industry was also divided on the issue, leading to some heated exchanges. When director Jude Anthany Joseph equated her behaviour to a monkey in a circus suddenly achieving fame, Parvathy hit back with a vengeance: OMKV (an expletive to show utter disdain), she wrote on her Twitter page. Parvathy, despite the controversies surrounding the statement, is least bothered and is busy shooting in Ootty for a much-awaited film by director Anjali Menon.

Excerpts from a conversation:

Your critics say you are deliberately trying to be different... Are you?

Am I different? To tell you the truth, I really don't think so. I would like to believe that I am normal. In this context I will share with you something. While I was a teenager, I had fibroid in uterus and used to get cramps because of that. But I used to think that it was normal. Only later did I realise that it was not. Like that, the notion of normalcy is quite subjective. But it is true that I never try to fit in anywhere.

Have you always been like this. Or did you develop this attitude after becoming successful?

Frankly, I also had gone through this phase, when I tried to fit in and wanted to please everyone. I wanted people to say nice things about me... But then I realised that by doing all those silly things, I was not being myself... I can act on screen, but I no longer want to act in real life. Most importantly, I realise that it is okay if others don't like me just because I am myself. To tell you the truth, I really don't care...

You making such blunt statements while most other actors are masters at being politically correct

This is me. You can take it or leave it. I say only those things with I am convinced about. For me, sleep is very important. So I never say or do anything that makes me lose sleep. I never do anything deliberately to hurt anyone. That is one advice my father has given me, and something which I have followed.

Were your parents a great influence on you?

I am what I am because of their unstinting support and the sacrifices they made in their lives. They saw to it that my brother and myself had a very rooted and grounded upbringing. Like every middle class parents, they had their share of concerns about me joining the film industry. But they never stopped me. They always let me be myself. 

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Topics : #Parvathy | #Mollywood

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