EXCLUSIVE! Ullozhukku star Parvathy Thiruvothu says 'Malayalam films get the worst of theatre spaces': 'I still feel the way regional cinema is treated to...'

Parvathy Thiruvothu has carved her own niche with her impeccable and memorable portrayals not only in the South but also in Bollywood films like Qarib Qarib Singlle & Kadak Singh. The actress recently bagged the Best Actress award for Ullozhukku at the 2024 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Parvathy spoke about _Ullozhukku_ , doing a Bollywood film after a long gap, Malayalam films getting pan-India popularity and other aspects.

Big congratulations on your great win. If you look at that Ullozhukku is out of the box yet very relevant and it is a kind of film where every woman wants to speak about it. In the world of patriarchy, there is a woman, who is breaking all the barriers. So do you think it is the right time when you can take this bold move without having some societal norms or any apprehensions?

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No, no. I mean, of course, this movie and the way it has been accepted all across the world, the way the movie has done so well in its commercial side of it, it is obviously a really great step forward. But we are far from not having any apprehensions. We have a long way to go until women can make choices. And that not being torn down by societal expectations of how one must be living as a woman in the society. I think that’s a much larger, bigger, longer journey for us.  But when a movie like this gets its due, we add a big to the speed of it.

When a script like Ullozhukku is narrated to you, do you take any risk-taking factor while accepting this kind of role like how the audience will think or perceive the character?

No, I seem to always have had this insane confidence in the audience. No matter what movie I take. I don’t know if that’s. That’s a smart thing or a stupid thing to have. So, yeah, I’ve always had a fair bit of confidence in the audience in their response towards the roles that I take up. Especially because I started off in Malayalam films, there is always a confidence that there is such an openness to different kinds of subjects, different kinds of roles that women have done. It’s always been the case with Malayalam. So I think it comes from that. But mostly even the films that I have done in the past have done well in terms of, if not the film, at least the critical appreciation of the characters that I have done. So I don’t take risk-taking factors in because if a producer has agreed to do it and the director is able to make it, then I just have this blind faith that it has to fly.

After Qarib Qarib Singlle, we saw you in a Bollywood movie after six years with Kadak Singh. What was the reason for the long gap as the audience loves your screen presence and wants to see you more often in Hindi films?

Oh, that’s very sweet. Oh, I know, right? That’s a curious case of why I have not done more films. I feel like Qarib Qarib Singlle was and still is so loved, especially after the OTT release, I still get so many messages about Jaya and Yogi’s story and how it’s resonated. And after that, when I got a role like Miss Kannan in Kadak Singh, I obviously could not say no for many reasons. First of all, it was a role that gave me the prospect of exploring the comedic elements of the daily lives. Secondly, obviously, it is Tony Das’ work, and I get to share screen presence with Pankaj (Tripathi) sir. So in every single way, it was a winner-winner work opportunity for me.

But between Qarib Qarib Singlle and Kadak Singh, I had not received a single offer which pushed me or challenged me. It felt like I was still. It was just a different version of Jaya that was coming to me or a different version of a certain kind of a character that I’ve already done. So I did not want to just do films for the sake of doing films. I always have tried to stay in that zone, be it Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu or Hindi. Genuinely only want to come in where there is actual value added by my presence. So, yeah, I was just waiting for the best one to come along.

Whenever you are doing two projects simultaneously or there is very less gap between the first and second projects and one character is a dark character and the other is a very girl next door. So, how you switch from one to another? Like is it exhausting for you?

It actually has not been exhausting for me. I will tell you why. Because the period of time that I take between two projects is pretty extensive. I do a movie and I take a good amount of a break and then go to the next one. I don’t do two movies at the same time. The reason I do that is because that’s the only way I can ensure that I am. I am reaping the benefits out of it. That does cause me to lose out on opportunities a little bit. But the benefits of that is that I get to dive deeper and create far better work than I would if I was rushing between one another. That said, there are films that I had to do without much of break because of production planning going haywire, things that are not under my control. But even in that sense, I have always had a set of practices that I do as an actor that always grounds me into the space of the character.

And even when I have to switch between one or the other characters, the way I view my job is my characters are as real to me as you and they are. So when I am inhabiting the space I inhabit with the same value and respect that is accorded to an actual live human being. So it helps me to treat them as people, as actual, genuinely existing people with flesh and blood. So it helps me to switch into that space very easily and quickly.

Malayalam cinema has been known for its out-of-the-box yet strong and relevant content. And due to OTT, in the past few years, it has got that pan-India appeal despite not getting a Hindi release, when it’s released on the OTT platform, it trends big time on social media. And now it is also reflecting on its box office numbers. So do you think that finally, Malayalam cinema has got its due to OTT and other things?

I would definitely say OTT has opened up the space for many, many filmmakers and director, actors and even audiences across the world to watch Malayalam cinema and I am extremely happy about it.

But the one grouse I still hold is that when it comes to the distribution of regional cinema, not just Malayalam cinema when it comes to the distribution of regional cinema in theatres, especially in the northern part of India, it is a pretty dismal affair. Even currently with Ullozhukku and even Thangalan

Right now, having released most of the Malayalam films, get the worst of the theatre spaces with subtitles sometimes not working and put away in theatres that are not easily accessible to people and also not on days that they can actually go and watch it. So that kind of really is a very sad state of affairs I still feel the way regional cinema is treated to theatrical releases, especially in north India.

Your pair with Dulquer Salmaan is iconic as the audience have showered love on Charlie & Bangalore Days. So, when we can see you reuniting again?

I would love to work with Dulquer again, but I think you should ask Dulquer that question.