Parvathy Thiruvothu addresses being called a ‘difficult person to work with’ after complaining of tight costumes: ‘I cry first’

Parvathy says working on Kadak Singh, which got a positive response at the recently concluded 54th edition of the Indian International Film Festival (IFFI) in Goa, was a fulfilling experience for her.

She says, “It is very rare for an actor to own up and say that something has to give. We think that something could go wrong. But frankly I’m saying that I was shooting for nine days and I wasn’t this fast to get off my bed and get to work. Much like how it was for us at IFFI opening ceremony. The event is important because there is an audience and people from all over the world are coming down — directors, actors and technicians. But when people from our own industry, when we see people we have witnessed on screen and been inspired by, being celebrated, it really does make you think about what your place is in this industry and why you are doing what you do.”

When asked why she took so long to do another Hindi film after Qarib Qarib Singlle, Parvathy says, “When there is no work happening, you’d be preparing for the next work. When it comes, you should be ready for it. I am constantly amazed because if there is one thing that I have manifested is that I can attract people who can teach me and inspire me, let me be surrounded by them. So Kadak Singh was a 10 on 10 for me in that sense.”

Parvathy then shared how there were instances when she “slipped” and “zoned out” on the sets of Kadak Singh but felt she had a safety net to bounce back, something she rarely experiences.

“Sometimes I slip. I can talk about my process, and I can plan my process and still I can slip. I have slipped even on our set, just that nobody noticed because I got a safety net. There have been times when I zoned out, but then I would come out of it and watch them (Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjana Sanghi, et al.) perform. I sit in this moment and watch them and I’ll be back into it.”

Recently, Parvathy had shared that she was once called a “difficult person to work with” after she complained about her costume being too tight and requesting the film’s team to make it loose. She says being misunderstood hurt her and that she’d cry about it.

On how she copes with such situations, the actor shares, “I cry first. It is important to let myself feel emotions because feeling misunderstood is one of the worst things that can happen to you because we are all children in our hearts. There is an inner child in you who always wants to be loved, cared for and understood. I think that becomes our primary requirement in life — to be loved and cared for. Being understood is a big ask, so sometimes I feel like we put an extra pressure on each other, ‘Why can’t you understand me?’ But we can’t even understand ourselves. I started understanding that all these people are coming from different backgrounds, our struggles are different, but that doesn’t mean my feelings are invalid. So, when I say I cry, I don’t say it jokingly. I am a good crier, something I pride myself with.”

The actor also opened up about how she’d mask her feelings initially but has now come to terms with her true feelings to be able to understand herself and take lessons from her experiences in the film industry in her stride.

“I used to mask it a lot (earlier). Then I sit with it and try to understand why did I cry, what part of you got hurt? Ok, so they didn’t loosen your costume, so explore why are they doing that, have a conversation about it. So, I feel being called difficult, being put into brackets can teach (you a lot). And the only thing you can do is learn about yourself and how to respond to it. We can’t change anything. The only thing you have control over is how you feel about it. This industry will teach you left, right and centre. That’s just human nature. There is no hating. I don’t hate it. It is just how it is. So there is no need to complain about it or anything,” she concludes.