Wonder Women, which released last Friday, sees ace actors Parvathy Thiruvothu and Nithya Menen collaborating for the first time. The film focuses on the lives of six pregnant women belonging to different walks of life as they strive to find answers to different facets of motherhood and childbirth after they arrive at a pre-natal clinic.
In an exclusive chat with News18, Parvathy talks about womanhood and female bonds, which, interestingly, is also what the Anjali Menon directorial is themed on. While she is happy to have found a friend in Nithya, Parvathy jokes and tells us that the actor, who is known for her poise, proved to be quite a ‘bully’ on the set.
“Nithya is the sweetest person ever. But when she joins other forces of nature like Padmapriya (Janakiraman; actor), something happens… like collective whining and bullying. It’s like Laurel and Hardy (a British-American comedy duo). Nithya goes like ‘who opened the bathroom door?’ and ‘who spilled water on the bathroom floor?’ There’s one part of the couch that’s Nithya’s and nobody else can occupy it. She loves her spaces. Having said that, she’s one of the cutest people I know and is great fun. She knows exactly what she wants. She isn’t a pushover like me,” says Parvathy with a laugh.
While the duo had acted in Anjali’s cult film Bangalore Days (2014), they never really got to share a frame in it. Needless to say, Parvathy was beyond thrilled to be working with her. But she reveals, “I would watch Nithya’s interviews and go, ‘Oh my god! How’s she so articulate and calm and composed unlike me!’ I was quite intimidated with her and was waiting to see how it would work out. But I’ve read a lot of comments saying that Parvathy and Nithya should work together.”
However, shooting for the film erased all the pre-conceived notions that the Charlie (2015) and Uyare (2019) actor had about Nithya. She elaborates, “It was super easy. We fit into each other’s energy so well. Maybe Anjali made it happen by design but I would like to believe that we got lucky. It didn’t feel like 12 days of mad work.”
Talking about her other co-actors, she says, “I knew Saya (Sayanora Philip), Archana (Padmini) and Padmapriya from before. But when it came to Nithya, Nadiya (Moidu) ma’am and Amruta (Subhash), I’ve only been admiring their work from afar but never got to meet them. In fact, I was quite intimidated with the fact that I was shooting with Nadiya ma’am too.”
Parvathy confides that there was one prominent episode on the sets of Wonder Women that made her truly appreciate Nithya. “There was one moment on set when I needed help and she noticed someone wasn’t helping me when they could have. She tore it down for them; she ripped one and how! I was amazed at that. That made me realise that I should ask for what’s mine. You got to know your boundary and ask and stand up for it. She did that and without making any fanfare about it,” she recalls.
The actor, who was recently seen in Puzhu, further adds, “I was enriched by the experience of seeing my fellow Wonder Women being who they’re by unapologetically occupying space and being themselves. It was a huge learning process. Not everything comes from debates, panel discussions and documentaries; some things need to be right in front of your eyes like a lived experience.”
Parvathy has often expressed her desire of turning a director someday. Quiz her if she wishes to direct Nithya, and she states, “Definitely! I would love to go to her with a script but I need to find my footing first as a director. The script should be something that’s worthy of her time and talent.”
And since Wonder Women revolves around pregnancy, what are her thoughts on motherhood? “I, personally, don’t think that motherhood is integral to every person’s idea of what needs to happen in their life. Even in the film, we aren’t making an all-encompassing statement about pregnancy,” the 34-year-old remarks.
Wonder Women is currently streaming on SonyLIV.
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