When Anupama Parmeswaran agreed to do Paradha, the recent Praveen Kandregula directorial, there were two kinds of challenges she had signed up for. The first one was to act with a veil on her face for nearly half of the film. Anupama recalls, “I remember thinking, ‘How do I act now? I have to show emotions on my face. What if they get bored of seeing me in paradha?’ There are so many scenes where I am silent. To perform merely with body language and voice was a big challenge.”
The second challenge was a trickier, more nuanced one. Anupama explains, “We are talking about a sensitive topic in Paradha — we are not questioning any belief system, but rather how it is conveyed to us. That’s the soul of the film, and to convey this idea with the right balance was a big task.” Paradha is also about the journey of three women and their evolution into better human beings. “We had to make sure that people don’t get bored with these three characters, and that it should not be surface-level in treatment. The script evolved a lot during the making,” she adds.
Talking about one particularly challenging scene, the ‘Maguve Maguve’ song sequence, where her character Subbu is forced by village heads to undergo a gruelling ritual, Anupama notes, “I remember walking towards that well for a long time. I am usually a switch-on-switch-off actor, but there, I couldn’t take it psychologically. I still remember the smell of smoke and pasupu (turmeric) in the air — it was so intense that I wound up sitting in my car and crying while shooting it.”
Anupama recalls not worrying too much about wide acceptance when she heard the Paradha script. She says, “There has been a scarcity of good scripts, so to get this subject was such a breath of fresh air.” Talking about the risks with the film, Anupama notes, “When we chose this story, we knew we were talking about a certain politics. We knew it was not a generic subject and would generate mixed opinions, but it’s a bold attempt to state something. We don’t know if this film will lead to any reformation. But if it makes even a few people think about it and reflect on their lives, it’s a success.” Yet, she also admits that the box office is a bigger factor these days in terms of accepting projects. Anupama adds, “I cannot shy away from its importance. If a producer is investing in me, they must get the returns — that’s where happiness is, with more market value and more films like it. For Paradha, I feel more responsible because I am the face of it.”
In Paradha, a well-accomplished woman says to another, ‘Men cannot empathise.’ Reflecting on the gender politics in the film, Anupama says, “Women will understand why I am emotional about this film. Any woman in this industry faces similar difficulties on a bigger scale. This is a high-competition environment, with a lot of bullying, hatred, and objectification. If a female actor’s film fails, that’s it — people suddenly decide not to make films with them anymore. So if we don’t tell these stories, who will? I can see people are appreciating Sangitha gaaru’s character a lot — I am not sure how much they empathise, but they can definitely relate to it. We need more films like this occasionally, where people can rethink their beliefs.” On a personal note, Anupama mentions that most of her close friends are men, adding, “But their perspective of the world will remain different from ours. Paradha encourages me to have more female friendships.”
Anupama recalls reading some of the comments, accusing Paradha of being ‘against all men.’ She adds, “I wonder why some people are getting so affected; if it isn’t reality, one just ignores it, right? Some people are hurt, saying how the film supports women. In almost every film, we support the hero, even if he goes around killing people. Well, this is the story of women. We can’t push anyone to accept it, but we have kept it on the table.” In such scrutinising times, it is difficult to stay detached from the noise on social media, I ask Anupama. She says, “I generally don’t read too many comments and prefer to detach. When I do a film, I know whether I have given it my hundred percent. I don’t cross-check if it resonated as well with the audience. I won’t give my hard work or passion into the hands of the internet. I don’t give them the right to destroy anything — that’s what these online comments do to me sometimes.”
Do her personal beliefs play a big role in her project selection? Anupama replies, “It will be very nice if an actor’s views can reflect in their work, but I don’t think this entertainment industry is like that. In Paradha, I chose a soulful subject. I can try making a few films like that. But sometimes, we have to do certain things — like a few song-and-dance sequences — to reach a greater audience. But if we can incorporate a part of ourselves to some extent, it’s a great thing.” With such a strong self-awareness about her ideologies, it’s only fair to ask Anupama Parmeswaran if she has filmmaking aspirations. She assisted on Maniyarayile Ashokan early in her career. “It’s something I like, but I won’t say anything now because life is unpredictable,” Anupama signs off.