Archana Puran Singh says she did C-grade, cheap films to support Parmeet Sethi's career: 'But I retained by dignity'

Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi, who have been married for over three decades, have never shied away from acknowledging that their relationship, like any other, went through a difficult phase. In a recent conversation on Archana’s YouTube channel, the couple opened up about those challenging years and how contrasting career choices tested their marriage.Archana spoke honestly about the period when she took on what she described as “C-grade, cheap films” simply to ensure financial stability at home. At the same time, Parmeet chose a very different path. He waited patiently for substantial roles, turning down projects he felt did not align with his long-term goal of becoming a lead actor, believing that the wrong choice could negatively impact his career. Reflecting on that phase, Archana shared her emotional conflict, saying, “When I married you, I was like ‘Yes, I am the one who is earning’. But somewhere I had repressed my feminine side, which wanted someone to provide, which wanted me to lean on someone and look up to him, just like my mother looked up to my father. This was going on inside me. At that time, I didn’t know that this was going on inside me. I must be sending mixed signal to you also, because sometimes I would be like it doesn’t matter I am earning, but sometimes I would nudge you to earn and prod you for rejecting projects.”Parmeet, on his part, explained that their age difference also played a significant role in their outlooks. Being seven years younger than Archana, he felt he was still in the early stages of shaping his career. “At that time, my point of view was that your career had already played out, but my career was forming, and I thought that if I take one misstep, then I would be completely out of the industry. I was trying to become the hero for the longest time,” he said. When Archana countered with, “I also wanted to become a heroine,” Parmeet pointed out, “But you were seven years elder to me and ahead of me in career.”Looking back, Archana acknowledged her own misjudgment and spoke about how adaptability helped her survive and grow. “I should have remembered that you are seven years behind me. I was thinking that I also wanted to become a heroine, but when that didn’t pan out, I diversified, I became an anchor, a comic lady, I did side roles, bad films, C-grade films, cheap films, but I retained my dignity. In all of that, if I would not have maintained my dignity, I would not have been where I am today.”