“I became their mother,” says Parvathy on experiencing motherhood while understanding her role in ‘Thangalaan’

MUMBAI: In a recent roundtable interview with the cast and crew of ‘Thangalaan’, actress Parvathy Thiruvothu shared a profound insight into her transformative experience portraying the role of Gangamma. During the second part of the interview, Thiruvothu described how she connected with her character on a deeply personal level, reshaping her understanding of motherhood through her role despite not experiencing motherhood herself.

Parvathy Thiruvothu recounted, “I don’t think Gangamma became Gangamma when I got Thangalaan to play that role. I became their mother.” This moment marked a turning point in her portrayal, as she immersed herself in the maternal aspects of her character.

She elaborated on the incident, “One day, I was with my character's youngest child. His actual mother had brought a feeding bottle for him, but he would cry when he saw her, so I would give him the milk.” This act of nurturing was a key moment that deepened her understanding of Gangamma's role.

Parvathy continued, “Later, when Ranjith (director) and I were talking, he said, ‘This is Gangamma, his mother.’ After that, I never bothered him with any questions because I understood what I was playing—she is a mother.”

Reflecting on the experience, she concluded, “And I don't know what that means since I am not a mother and don’t have any idea what that is like, so that was quite an experience.” Despite her lack of personal experience with motherhood, the actress deeply immersed herself in the role of Gangamma, resulting in a transformative experience on set.

Thangalaan is going to be yet another cinematic spectacle from the South. It is a real story of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) when KGF was discovered by the British who exploited and looted it for their own purpose. The film is going to take ahead the spree of the South industry of bringing unique concepts to the audience. It’s yet another film from the South with an unusual concept.

Directed by Pa. Ranjith, ‘Thangalaan’ starring Chiyaan Vikram and Malavika Mohanan in a prominent role is scheduled for a worldwide release on August 15, 2024, in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. The music of the film is composed by G.V. Prakash Kumar.