Urvashi reveals life in ex-husband’s home pushed her towards alcohol

Malayalam actress Urvashi recently opened up about the bitter experiences she faced in her first marriage and how alcohol gradually impacted her life. In an interview with Ranjini Haridas, Urvashi revealed that the environment she entered at her first husband’s home after marriage was starkly different from the familiar surroundings in which she had grown up.

Adjusting to this new atmosphere brought changes to her personality and lifestyle. According to Urvashi, these shifts eventually led to emotional exhaustion and, over time, steered her toward alcohol. In the interview, she spoke openly about the circumstances that triggered these personal-level changes and the challenges that followed.

"After my first marriage, stepping into their home felt completely unfamiliar. The people there were very forward and modern in their ways. Everyone even drank and ate together, including the children and their mothers. I wondered if it was even possible to fit into such an atmosphere. I tried and kept on trying to adjust and adapt. But then, after all this, I went back to work,” she told Renjini.

By the time she realised she was becoming someone entirely different, it was already too late. She added there was no one who she could open up to about her struggles. She also wanted the marriage to work since the decision to marry was hers . It was her elder sister Kala who tried to guide her as she knew her struggles. “But by then, I had already changed. I was completely spiraling, heading down a path,” she admitted.

Urvashi recalled how a few actresses like Radha and Kutti Padmini who worked with Sridevi spoke about the late Bollywood star’s habit of drinking alcohol after a hectic shoot. “It was after entering my marital home that I became acquainted with this lifestyle. After work, everyone would gather and drink together to unwind. Gradually, I ended up shouldering the responsibility of earning alone and was forced into situations I never wanted. When opinions clashed, the drinking would escalate, which took a serious toll on my health,” she said.

Urvashi stated that her health started deteriorating rapidly. She was unable to sleep or even eat properly, which affected her mental health. Without proper rest and nutrition, she said she started relying solely on alcohol to get through the days. Eventually, she admitted, she lost awareness of her surroundings entirely. “All of this took a serious toll on my health. But my friends and personal staff consciously decided to help me break free from that cycle,” she said in the interview.

They intervened and stood by Urvashi, offering active support to help her overcome her habit. At the same time, some members of her family advised her against revealing anything publicly. She had been brought up to live within the confines of her husband’s household, and having lived that way for most of her life, it took her considerable time to unlearn that conditioning.

Urvashi maintained that she chose to remain silent for the sake of her children. However, the narratives being circulated from the other side were neither accurate nor fair. Hearing this, her friends reminded her that it was her responsibility to speak out and set the record straight, she said in the interview. She also said that anyone who worked with her during her active years in Malayalam cinema between 1985 and 1995 knows who she truly is, and the reasons behind the changes that followed are also well known.

She believes it was destiny that her daughter was born to two such individuals, and that destiny has now been fulfilled. “Today, these experiences no longer have any control over me,” she said.