Parvathy Thiruvothu expresses regret over skin darkening in 'Thangalaan'
What's the story
Actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, who made her Tamil film debut with Poo in 2008, has expressed regret over her past decision to darken her skin for movie roles. Speaking to News18, she said, "I'm not proud of it at all." The actor appeared in Thangalaan alongside Chiyaan Vikram, where she had to get "blackfaced." However, she wasn't happy about it.
Regret
'When you know better, you do better'
Thiruvothu said, "When you know better, you do better. My apologies won't matter, but I do apologize. I wouldn't do that again." She told director Pa Ranjith during the casting call for Thangalaan that she wouldn't be doing blackfacing. "Gengammal can be tanned because she's working on the fields all day, but she can't be blackfaced," she explained.
Character portrayal
'I would still want to claim that I maintained...'
Thiruvothu suggested that her character could be naturally sunburned if exposed to the sun. She said, "I told him that I can get naturally sunburned if I'm out in the sun for two days, and then we can have the impression of my skin peeling off (through make-up)." "I would still want to claim that I maintained the body make-up true to the geography and the weather she lived in, which affected how her skin was, rather than getting blackfaced."
Sensibility clash
Thiruvothu's thoughts on Ranjith's vision
Thiruvothu also spoke about her conversation with Ranjith, which highlighted their differing sensibilities. "I was really surprised that everyone on set was getting blackfaced." "I remember telling Pa Ranjith that if this question comes up, I'll direct that to him." "He's leading the way for a movement through his films that have their own values and metric system. But I remember pushing back so much." Thangalaan is streaming on Netflix.