Working with Pankaj Tripathi was like an acting workshop: Parvathy Thiruvothu

Hyderabad: From Qarib Qarib Single with Irrfan Khan to Kadak Singh with Pankaj Tripathi, Parvathy Thiruvothu has been a revelation. She was recently seen in Naga Chaitanya’s web series, Dhootha. In an exclusive interview with Deccan Chronicle, the actress talks about her film journey.

How was it working with Pankaj Tripathi?

It felt more of an acting workshop to be on set with him and frankly, even like other actors do, to observe them. But he is who he is today. And we celebrate him because he's super committed to his craft. And that comes first beyond anything else. So it was very inspiring to be around him.

Tell us about your role in Kadak Singh

My role in Kadak Singh is of a head nurse who is taking care of the lead character, the protagonist that is played by Pankaj Tripathi. There are different characters who are attached to the main character in a very emotional capacity, and my character has no such emotional capacity or in that dynamic. It's a purely transactional space where a nurse is taking care of a patient, but at the same time her presence informs his journey in a different way. So there is a relationship that does not have a name to it. There is a confidante/friend/nurse/nobody.

Qarib, Qarib Single was well received. Yet you did not sign any Hindi movies after that. Any particular reason?

No, not really. After Qarib, I was very much busy in the films that I was doing in Malayalam, Tamil Nadu and now in Telugu. And I felt like unless and until there was an offer that was really, really different from what I did in Qarib, it didn't make sense for me to just come in and do for the sake of doing it. Nothing had stood out as something that I had to come back and do anything until Kadak Singh happened.

Be it Qarib, Koode and now Kadak Singh—Your choice of characters have depth. What makes you pick such intense roles?

I think Kadak Singh is something that I would not put in a category of intense. But it just so happens that from whatever I have done before, I'm considered as someone who probably does intense well. But frankly, I would love to move away from the intense. But I would say what we call intense is something like if I am given a comic role or a comedy, it would be an intense experience for me to figure that out. So I hope, at least in the way that it's perceived as comedy, I would get those different kinds of roles going forward.

We have all kinds of movies being made, but do you think there are social issues that are yet unexplored by cinema as a medium?

Oh, absolutely! We have barely scratched the surface as an art form to actually be talking about the social issues that we should be talking about. And I do believe that films and entertainment have a huge impact on how society eventually evolves, reflects and introspects.

So, there are many to talk about, but I think we have done a fairly good job in repeatedly going back to certain dark topics on our daily struggles that we see on class disparity, economic disparity, gender inequality and all of those things.

But it needs to be an active pursuit, really. Like, I mean, for example, bringing it back to Kadak Singh, which is a thriller, it is a story about human relationships and all of that. But it also does go on to tell something that is actively happening in our country, without that being as the main focal point. So the fact that one can tell a story like that by continuously reflecting on the times we are living in, it is possible and we can do more.

You have worked across the Indian film industry. But if you were to pick one industry to work, which one would that be and why?

I wouldn't select one industry. I want to work in all industries. When I say all, not even Indian like everywhere. And that's not just being greedy or being diplomatic. I would have selected one if one felt more comfortable. But frankly, Malayalam is my native of language. That's the industry that I work mostly in. But that doesn't make it any easier. There are times when I've had easier experiences in different language or industry.

Any favourite actors you would like to work with?

There are actors I've already worked with that I would like to repeatedly work with.  Like for example, the series that I just did called Dhootha. There is an actor, Ravindra Vijay, who played a character called Ajay Ghosh. We didn't have many scenes. We had one scene together, but I saw his performance later on when the series released and I was like, that particular scene I did with him was so brilliant. It would be great if we are cast together in a different film for different scenes, different kinds of characters, because he seems like a wonderful actor.

Much like that in Kadak Singh, there is of course Pankaj ji, but there's also Sanjana, Paresh, Jaya Ahsaan. But it would be great if I work with stalwarts like Naseer sir, Ratna Pathak Shah, Manoj Bajpai Ji. But those are all just wishful thinking. But already having worked with other actors in different films, I feel like I would love to have a repeat of it.

Tell us about your future projects

There is one project up for release in January after Kadak Singh. It’s a Tamil movie called Thangalaan, and I am looking forward to that.