May 19, 2026 8:00pm IST
Parvathy on Speaking Up: ‘You Can Be a Huge Superstar And Still Be Cast Out’ (EXCLUSIVE)
For years, Parvathy built a reputation as one of Indian cinema’s most uncompromising voices. Across films like "Take Off," "Uyare," "Ullozhukku" and "Thangalaan," the actor has balanced critical acclaim with outspoken conversations around gender, power and institutional silence within the entertainment industry.
Now, in a candid reflection on the cost of speaking up in a conversation with Variety India, Parvathy says she eventually realizes that talent, box-office success and critical validation do not necessarily protect women from being pushed aside within the system.
The cost of speaking up
“I genuinely think if you do all the right things, give the best performances and your movies become super hits, then talent is what matters and bringing people to the theater is what matters,” Parvathy says. “I am able to do both and then I keep asking myself, how do I still get cast out? That’s when I realize the base level belief is that women are completely dispensable. You can be a huge superstar, bring in money and still be cast out because of the discomfort you bring to the table.”
Parvathy says the backlash intensifies once she starts publicly questioning industry structures and speaking about issues larger stars often avoid addressing openly. “If I speak up and my movies become hits, my influence grows stronger, which means people who are exploiting things get fewer opportunities to continue doing that,” she says. “So of course they come together. There is nothing like the unity of extremists and misogynists.”
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Parvathy says the experience fundamentally changes how she looks at the industry and at herself. “I witness people in the industry, who otherwise cannot see eye-to-eye suddenly teaming up against me,” she says. “That becomes a huge reality check and it takes a physiological toll on me.”
Strength in silence
Over time, the actor says she stops feeling the need to constantly defend or explain herself publicly. “There is a period where I want to explain myself more,” she says. “Very quickly, I become someone who is extremely disliked for her value systems and for questioning things that bigger superstars are part of.”
That realization eventually pushes her toward silence rather than constant public confrontation. “I let go of the requirement to explain myself,” she says. “You are welcome to misunderstand me because that’s your life. I’m okay with it because I don’t have the entitlement that everybody must understand me.”
Parvathy also speaks openly about the physical and emotional impact the scrutiny has on her mental health and creative process. “I can pretend that I’m okay, but my body always tells me when I’m pushing too much,” she says. “My body’s intelligence is like a mother telling me to sit down and slow down.”
The actor adds that stepping back from constant public engagement unexpectedly becomes a source of strength rather than defeat. “In terms of speaking up, I go quieter than before because I realize it takes a huge toll on my craft,” she says. “People think I have learned my lesson. But you have no idea how much more empowered you become when you go silent.”
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