Interview: Anupama Parameswaran 2.0 opens up on depression and trolling

A couple of years ago, Anupama became the talk of tinsel town when she shared pictures of her transformation — from chubby to slim — on her social media accounts.

Her weight loss journey came as a pleasant surprise for many and a shock to some. But she was appreciated for her efforts and determination.

And now, in July, the actor raised many eyebrows when she shunned her girl-next-door image and posed in a stunning backless dress. In no time, the Instagram post went viral and netizens started heaping praise on her.

 

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When contacted, the actor readily opened up about her journey from a shy person to Anupama 2.0.

Trolled after Premam release

“Before my first film Premam was released, I promoted it extensively. I was present across all the platforms talking about it and cherishing the work experience,” she told South First.

When the film was finally released, she was trolled: “This girl only got to do a cameo!” “So much for promotions and her screen presence lasts for not more than 15 minutes…”

Anupama Parameswaran’s Butterfly is a thriller. (Supplied)

“Vile statements and trolling memes came my way and I had to endure them all. People didn’t respect the efforts I had put in for the small role in Premam and instead conveniently chose to troll me.”

“It hit me hard and I went into depression. I decided not to do a Malayalam film again,” recalled Anupama, though she did a couple of movies in later years.

Female actors often become the victims of body-shaming, trolling, objectification, stereotyping, misogyny and whatnot. The list just goes on.

For ages, they have been fighting to get paid on par with their male counterparts, but it doesn’t seem to be happening at all!

Decides to fix her mental health

“It was too much to take in. That’s when I decided to work on myself. My priority was not my body, but my mind, because I realised that mental well-being reflects on our physical health.”

“It took me a lot of time to get over depression. Let me tell you, it was not an easy job,” she clarified.

“I started working out, followed a proper diet and most importantly, believed in myself. The results are quite amazing,” added Anupama, underlining that one should not let depression get the better of oneself.

Poster of Anupama Parameswaran’s upcoming film 18 Pages. (Supplied)

Well, it takes a lot for a mainstream actor to open up about her mental health, leave alone cope with it, and Anupama certainly deserves applause for her daring move.

On the work front, the actor is awaiting the release of her next film 18 Pages. The movie has Anupama teaming up with Nikhil for the second time, after Karthikeya 2.

Palnati Surya Pratap is the director, Sukumar is the story writer, Gopi Sundar is the music composer and Bunny Vas is the producer.

Anupama also has Butterfly, a thriller film, in the pipeline. Ghanta Satish Babu is the writer-director. Ravi Prakash Bodapati, Prasad Tiruvalluri and Pradeep Nallimelli are bankrolling the movie.