Director Shahad’s Parvathy Thiruvothu-led Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar has created a strong impression among the audience, despite facing stiff competition from director Girish AD’s Nivin Pauly-Mamitha Baiju starrer Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, still continuing its blockbuster run, and Nahas Hidhayath’s Dulquer Salmaan-starrer I’m Game, which released just a week prior to the former.

Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar’s makers recently announced that the crime thriller has finally crossed the Rs 25 crore mark worldwide, a major achievement considering the film doesn’t feature any superstars.

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Parvathy hasn’t just made up for not having any releases in 2025; she’s also underscored that her fan base remains unwavering, with a certain trust in the projects she associates herself with. In fact, she says her definition of success has always been winning the audience’s trust in that manner, making them feel, “If Parvathy’s in a movie, something must be there in it.”

Parvathy Thiruvothu discusses Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar

“Throughout my career, I’ve chased only one kind of success. Things like a film becoming a hit are clearly not in my control. What I believe is in my control is giving a 100 per cent sincere performance every time. So, the definition of success for me is when people say, ‘If Parvathy’s in a movie, something must be there in it.’ It’s like an award. That trust is built over time,” she tells SCREEN in an exclusive interview.

“Be it a lead character, a supporting character, or even a cameo, if I choose to be a part of a movie, that’s because I liked the movie. I would like to hear people say that even if my part is small, ‘Parvathy has taken up that role, which means something must be interesting about the movie.’ Thus, not only am I being given the honour of entertaining the audience as the character, but I am also being given the validation that my choices are good. And I’m glad that notion is paying off for the audience,” she adds.

Handling career lows and gaining people’s trust

Expressing her elation over the success of Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar, particularly after facing a few consecutive setbacks, she says, “I’m on top of the world and feeling very grateful. Time gives you different perspectives on what success means. Along with the successes, there were also very hard-hitting low points in my career. After some of those (low points), to arrive at a place where one of my films has worked for the audience in every capacity possible is wonderful.”

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Parvathy notes, “It’s rare for every department in a movie — the performances, editing, screenplay, music, and climax — to be praised. There’s nothing in Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar that the audience has not liked. Right now, I am like that child whose dreams have come true. And I’m not holding back. I’m on Instagram, reading every story and message coming to me, and celebrating this.”

Since Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar opened to generally favourable reviews, was Parvathy able to dissociate herself from the work and enjoy her film as a viewer? The actor says that she mastered it over time and that director Anjali Menon’s Bangalore Days (2014) played a key role in shaping her viewing habits in that direction.

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How Bangalore Days changed Parvathy’s perspective as an actor

“I’ve gotten better at it over time. Initially, I couldn’t watch my performances objectively. Bangalore Days changed that for me. That film wasn’t all about me, right? My character comes in and goes. I watched the movie for the main storyline featuring the other characters. There, I really enjoyed shifting my perspective to watch the film, not just my character,” she says.

“After that, I told myself I should enjoy my own movies. Internally, I shifted the gear a little. I was like, ‘You’ve done your job and finished playing the character; now, don’t make it all about yourself. Watch the movie for what it is and for the team.’ Since then, I have been able to objectively analyse what worked and what didn’t,” she points out.

Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar features Unnimaya Prasad, Sidharth Bharathan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, and Mathew Thomas. (Credit: Instagram/@mathewthomass)

However, she maintains that in Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar’s case, it wasn’t the same, as she hadn’t seen the movie in full before its release and, hence, wasn’t fully sure how the final cut had turned out.

“I was quite nervous because I hadn’t watched the movie at all. I had watched Ullozhukku (2024) before it was released. I knew what was going out to the audience. However, I had only watched snippets of Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar during dubbing. I knew they were cooking up something really exciting in the edit as well. So I was as excited as the audience was. There were changes in the edit, and some really fun and amazing stuff that they did in the second half, which even I wasn’t completely privy to. So I was watching, gasping and getting shocked as much as anybody else in the theatre,” she adds.