I’m still here; actresses don’t vanish post marriage: Parvati Nair

For newlywed actor Parvati Nair, who was last seen in the Kannada film Mr Rani, marriage brought solace and companionship — but it also came with an invisible shift, especially in how the film industry viewed her. In a candid conversation, she opens up about the impact of marriage on her career, the emotional limbo of newlywed life, and her resolve to reclaim space in a still male-dominated industry. Excerpts:‘PEOPLE THINK MARRIAGE ENDS YOUR CAREER; I’M HERE TO PROVE THEM WRONG’For Parvati, the way people saw her post-marriage shocked her, even though she was aware of how it would be. “I’d like to tell everyone that I’m very much here. I want to break the stereotype that actresses vanish after marriage. In fact, the reason I got married to Aashrith was because I knew he’d never ask me to stop working.” She noticed a startling drop in inquiries. Even fan pages went silent, she tells us.Parvati adds that she had to prove she was still in shape to continue working on projects she’d signed up for. “When they asked me for new photos to check if I’d put on weight, it hurt. Did they think of replacing me?” ‘GOOD WORK GETS IGNORED. BUT SCREENGRABS OF A NAVEL GO VIRAL’Parvati notes that she has also seen her hard work overshadowed by objectification. “Everyone praises my performance in Yennai Arindhaal. But I’ve done more challenging roles that no one talks about. Take roles like the one in Uttama Villain; they were more challenging. I feel even looking naïve or innocent on screen takes skill. Unfortunately, I’ve had scenes where I’ve cried, convulsed, delivered powerful lines, and what goes viral is a shot of my sari slipping. Nothing about the performance. Just ‘Oh, hot’. People are quick to judge your role based on your look – this is why, today, I am very picky about the roles I say yes to. I have made a name for myself, and I don’t want to ruin that by saying yes to every movie possible.” She says there were several videos of screengrabs of her navel being circulated online, and despite reporting 10 posts, five new ones kept cropping up. “Social media has become a cruel and creepy place now,” she says.