Actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, known for her powerful performances in films like Charlie, Bangalore Days, Qarib Qarib Single, and many more, has carved a distinct space for herself in the industry. But her journey wasn’t always this steady. As a reminder of where she started and how far she has come, she carries a meaningful tattoo on her wrist.
For years, fans noticed the discreet number inked on her skin, without knowing its story. Yesterday, in a rare moment of candour on stage, Parvathy revealed its truth the number represents the exact amount she once had in her bank account during one of the toughest phases of her early career, a sum so small it couldn’t even buy her a full day’s meal. It’s her personal reminder of resilience, struggle, and the journey that shaped her..
While speaking on the panel, a fan asked her how she stays grounded, to which she said, “The initial years of my career were about trying to make ends meet and not being sure whether I'll continue to be an actor anymore. So much so that what Richa mentioned, I have tattooed how much money I had in my bank account for about three months. It's on my wrist and it (the amount) was not enough to have a full meal every single day. I was secretly waiting for my friend to call me over so that I could eat a full dinner - like chapati and bhindi or otherwise egg and bread I would get for three months. But I finished my masters in the mean time. And every single role that I was getting around that time was not the real kind, but the one who's completely hypnotised by machosim. And I just couldn't get myself to say yes to any of those (offers). And my parents asked what I was doing and I was about to get evicted from my house. For three months I hadn't paid my rent."
She continues, "I was considered very difficult and I said no too much. And I did get lucky that there was one audition for a Tamil film called Maryan that came my way. And I got through and they gave me 30,000 rupees as an advance that I gave to my owner to not evict me. But it took me two and half years of no work. I am unable to articulate fully where that strength came from - in about two and half years of saying no to films is when I realised, I want to do films. I was like hook or crook I'll be around because of the clarity I had by saying no.”
Parvathy will next be seen in the Malayalam films Pradhama Dhrishtya Kuttakkar and I, Nobody, and in Hindi cinema with Storm, produced by Hrithik Roshan.