Parvathy Thiruvothu on ‘I, Nobody’, Prithviraj Sukumaran and why this is her busiest career phase | Interview

 After earning widespread acclaim last year for her powerful performance in ‘Ullozhuku’, Parvathy Thiruvothu is set to return to the big screen with ‘I, Nobody,’ a gripping socio-political drama built around a high-stakes bank heist. Directed by Nissam Basheer, the filmmaker behind ‘Kettyolanente Malakha’, and ‘Rorschach’, the film also reunites Parvathy with Prithviraj Sukumaran for the third time, with the duo once again portraying a couple.
In an exclusive conversation with Onmanorama, Parvathy opens up about what drew her to the layered character of Meera, the emotional and political undercurrents of the film, and the creative chemistry of sharing screen space with Prithviraj once again.

Kanchana and Moideen remain one of Malayalam cinema’s most beloved on-screen couples. As you reunite with Prithviraj after ‘My Story’ and ‘Koode’ for ‘I, Nobody’, what do you think is Prithviraj’s greatest strength as a romantic lead? What is it about his performances that makes his romantic characters connect so strongly with audiences?
I think the most unique feature of what Prithvi brings to the table as a romantic lead is a conviction of the journey of that character. I’ve witnessed this three times by now and in ‘I, Nobody’, we share a very different chemistry, but I saw it again.

What is your take on the title of Nissam's film ‘I, Nobody’? Why did the story intrigue you?
From the title to the script narration, I was hooked by how topical and relevant this movie is. I loved how Nissam explained how he plans to execute it and overall, I was 100 percent with his vision.

What are your biggest takeaways playing Meera in ‘I, Nobody’?
More than a takeaway, I’d say I felt I was representing a huge cross-section of women in our society who are looking to hold the fort while everything seems to be out of their control. Especially in their journey as a mother and wife. Meera has a fortitude and clarity which is something she had to build because she doesn’t have the luxury of having anyone to rely on, or trust. It was a significant deep dive into what being a mother in such a situation would be like.

Over the past few months, you've announced that you are part of a number of exciting projects. Considering that you've usually limited yourself to a certain number of films each year, this feels like a much busier phase in your career.
I would ideally prefer not to take on multiple projects simultaneously. However, I have been offered some brilliant roles, and I wanted to push myself beyond my comfort zone so I don’t miss out on them. I am currently working across four languages simultaneously, and it’s an incredibly exciting period where I get to mould my methodologies to fit this new schedule.

You are returning as a DCP in 'Dhootha 2'. You will also be playing a cop in Malayalam with ‘Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakar’. What is the most challenging aspect of playing a police officer, and how much does it excite you?
I think much like playing a category of ‘romantic leads’, playing cops also boils down to who they are as people. That will always be my main focus. However, working with Shahad for my part in ‘Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakar’ and with Vikram as Kranti Shenoy in ‘Dhootha’ are very different experiences, also due to the unique and varied approaches of these directors. So I get to tune my performances accordingly. There are some aspects that remain similar, training, body language, and certain technical aspects remain common, that are uniform across the police academy in India. However, both characters are not of the same rank, and that also makes it exciting to opt for a different approach.

You've managed to stay incredibly active on social media, interacting with fans, making style statements, sharing fun videos, and even giving glimpses into your workouts. With constant scrutiny and opinions, how do you navigate the pressures of social media?
I used to delete my accounts every few months to take a break whenever it got overwhelming, but I’ve noticed it has been over a year since I’ve done that. I guess for me the turning point was when I started truly enjoying putting myself out there as I’m evolving, and I saw my usage of social media as a tool for my benefit rather than it being something ruling over my time and space. I have, over a period of time, figured out a way to disconnect by having my routines and hobbies outside of my phone, which makes coming back to it exciting. Another major step towards connecting with the audience is the account I use exclusively for journaling. I hope to build a deeper, more sustainable relationship with the audience as we build a community that betters our mental health.