Actor Parvathy Thiruvothu delivered one of the best performances alongside Urvashi in the Malayalam film, ‘Ullozhukku’. While she won the Best Actress at the International Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), Urvashi won the Kerala State Award for her performance. Overwhelmed by the win, Parvathy spoke exclusively to IndiaToday.in about the process of making ‘Ullozhukku, how it affected her mentally and what the success of ‘Thangalaan’ meant to the entire team.
Excerpts from the interview:
Congratulations on your Best Actress award for ‘Ullozhukku’ for International Film Festival of Melbourne. How special is this award, especially for a film like this?
I don’t know where to begin how special it is. In Malayalam cinema this year, there was a lot of conversation about ‘where are the women’ in films. There were a lot of articles and opinions written about it. During the peak of that debate was when ‘Ullozhukku’ was released with two women in the lead, starring Urvashi ma’am and myself. I got to do that role. I had managed my expectations very well because they do know that it’s two women in the lead and how people might look at it, even though the Malayalam audience are open to it.
But, the kind of love and acceptance the film received and the way the audience received the film was the most gratifying thing. It also became the answers to so many questions. We didn’t have to talk about it any more because the film was the prime example of it.
How was it winning the award in Melbourne?
The day I won the award in Melbourne was the same day the Kerala State Film Awards were announced. Probably just three hours before I won the award, she (Urvashy) won her sixth state award and her first for ‘Ullozhukku’. It was doubly sweet for us as I won it here in Melbourne on a prestigious stage, and she won the most honourable award. It was a happy heart.
For me, ‘Ullozhukku’ was an empowering film that highlights the strength of womanhood. Was it one of the reasons why you chose the film?
I didn’t think about it that way. Initially, I remember how scared I was when director Christo Tomy approached me. You know the depths and nuances Christo wrote these characters. Even though dramatic roles are my jam, this one, particularly, scared me a bit. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do full justice to it.
And it’s not about being humble or anything. I genuinely did not understand certain choices Anju (her character in the film) was making. I was reluctant and even told him no at one point. It was his persistence and I thank him as he never gave up on me. When he was kickstarting the project, he checked up with me. When I said yes to him, it had been four years from the time I said no to him. When he asked me again, I said yes. I just took a deep dive. Empowerment was the last thing in my mind when I took up the project. I just wanted to do a good job.
You had Urvashi sharing the screen with you. How did you two approach your scenes?
It was very interesting and there were no discussions on how to approach the character. We had some discussions of all four of us together, including director Christo and cinematographer Shehnad Jalal. Most of the scenes are set inside a house and the majority of the scenes were shot inside one room. There was only so much physical movement we could do. In terms of choreographing a scene, there was a lot of discussion between the director and the cinematographer. They had their own idea of doing it, but they would always bring us in to the discussions to see how our performances would inform their choices.
Most of the discussions were about how the physical playing out would happen and very rarely would we discuss how to approach the character. Urvashi chichi (sister) had her work cut out for her and so did I. We were focused on internalising and performing. During the take, we’d figure out how we would improvise. It felt so intuitive with her and there was so much trust between us. So much so that we never felt the need to theorise anything – it was more practical. Also, we had only 45 days to shoot, and it didn’t give us much time to talk. We just had to get down to work.
‘Ullozhukku’ is one film which does not have a judgemental gaze on your relationship with Rajeevâæ
It’s one of the things I love about the film as well. It is a rarity. It is a lesson in screenplay writing, frankly. These characters can be shown just as they are, and the judgement is in the minds of the audience. A lot of people who watched the film had a different gaze on Anju and Leelamma (Urvashi’s role in the film) towards the ending and Rajeev as well. I wouldn’t say one is wrong, and the other is right. Everything is right because that’s how life is. We all have different gazes on different people we meet.
That judgement is informed by their lives and life choices. So, I loved that. Initially, I thought Anju would be hated as she’s the one who’s having a relationship while she’s still married. I was pleasantly surprised at how non-judgemental most of the audience were.
‘Ulluzhokku’ is a heavy film. At some point, did it affect you mentally? And are you a switch-off, switch-on actor?
It did affect me mentally because I’m not a switch-off, switch-on actor. I don’t know if I should be or if I will ever try to be. I’ve enjoyed the process and where it takes me. I feel like that’s the best way I can benefit from it. It can sometimes lead me to a place where it’s uncomfortable and painful. But, in the learning of coming out of it, I have found myself becoming a better person or a better actor. It makes things easier for me.
I would easily say this was the heaviest film I’ve ever done. It was difficult to snap out of it. I did do as many things to snap out of it – like travelling and other things. But, Anju had a clasp on me, and I was grateful she did. Because playing characters like these is a gift that keeps giving.
How was the experience of shooting ‘Thangalaan’ and the reception?
I am just bowled over! It’s a huge victory for us and people are loving ‘Thangalaan’ in all its extremities and eccentricities. On top of that, the women in ‘Thangalaan’ – Gangamma, Arasani and Aarthi – are being appreciated. These are women we’ve never met, never seen before on screen and when that is appreciated, I’m moved. I’m revelling in it more than thinking about how difficult it was to perform the character. This feels like a balm to the wounds as we all went through so much physically and mentally – it was extremely strenuous. I already feel like we’ve been awarded with a huge prize.
You have played diverse roles throughout your career. Do you have a particular role or a genre you’re fond of, or you want to explore?
I don’t think I have a particular role in mind. But I’d love to do genre-bending stuff. There are movies like ‘Vanilla Sky’ or ‘Being John Malkovich’ – these films can’t be put in one category. I love comedy too, and I am keen to explore that in the future. In fact, I’m manifesting that.
Parvathy also stated that she has an interesting line-up of films, which will be announced soon.