‘Struggle Toh Kiya Hi Hai’

‘I
have
no
family
(in
the
industry),
no
network,
no
mentor.’
‘Still,
I’m
consistently
working
since
20
years
and
now
I
have
a
National
Award.’
‘It
may
take
time,
but
if
you’re
consistently
at
it,
nothing
can
stop
you.’

There
are
two
sides
to

Manasi
Parekh.

After
working
for
20
years,
she
has
won
her
first
National
Award
for
a
Gujarati
film
that
she
produced
herself,

Kutch
Express.

“When
you
have
really
worked
hard
in
your
life
and
it
comes
to
you
at
a
point
when
you
think
you
deserve
it,
that
moment
is
priceless,”
Manasi
tells

Ronjita
Kulkarni/Rediff.com.

Then,
there’s
the
other
side
to
her:
The
hands-on
mom
to
a
seven
year
old.

“While
I’m
talking
to
you,
I
have
three
kids
playing
in
my
house.
They
have
turned
the
whole
house
upside
down!”
she
says
with
a
laugh.

But
really,
there’s
much
more
to
her.

She’s
ambitious.

She’s
enterprising.

And
she
can’t
stop
shining
in
her
talent.

We
saw
you
crying
when
you
went
up
to
receive
your
National
Award.

A
lot
of
people
asked
me
why
I
got
so
emotional,
why
I
didn’t
have
this
confident
demeanour.

But
just
because
I’m
emotional
does
not
mean
I’m
not
confident.

Besides,
when
you
have
really
worked
hard
in
your
life
and
it
comes
to
you
at
a
point
when
you
think
you
deserve
it,
that
moment
is
priceless.
When
my
name
was
announced,
I
was
so
overwhelmed!

It
was
a
big
moment
for
me.

And
I’m
a
very
expressive
person,
so
I
expressed
what
I
felt.

What
did
President
Droupadi
Murmu
say
to
you?

She
said,
‘Roh
kyun
rahi
hai?‘

She
thought
I
was
crying,
but
they
were
actually
tears
of
joy.

We
saw
you
interacting
with
Nithya
Menen,
with
whom
you
shared
your
Best
Actress
award
as
well
as
Rishabh
Shetty
who
won
the
Best
Actor
award.
What
was
your
conversation
about?

It
was
interesting
because
all
three
of
us
are
not
mainstream
Hindi
actors,
right?
We
are
from
the
regional
industry,
so
it
was
a
great
moment
for
us.

Nithya
and
I
were
discussing
a
collaboration
together,
maybe
we
could
explore
a
film
which
is
a
bilingual.

Rishabh
and
his
wife
were
very
sweet.
We
were
discussing
which
places
to
shop
in
Delhi.

I
was
telling
Nithya
that
now,
people
should
start
calling
them
Indian
films
and
not
slot
them
as
Hindi
or
Gujarati
or
South
Indian
films.
We
should
make
every
film
accessible
to
every
Indian.

National
Awards
had
309
films
submitted
to
them
in
32
languages.
That’s
the
variety
and
diversity
that
we
have!
It’s
time
that
every
language
gets
its
due.

Which
film
personalities
reached
out
to
you
after
you
won
the
award?

Lots
of
friends,
colleagues,
actor
friends,
directors…

Aditya
Dhar
and
Yami
Gautam
messaged
me.
They
were
like,
you
are
a
total
rockstar
Manasi!

Vidya
Balan
messaged
me.

Was

Kutch
Express
a
difficult
film
to
make,
since
you
produced
it
yourself?

Oh
yes!

When
we
set
up
the
film
initially,
the
second
lockdown
was
announced.
So
the
project
got
stalled
by
a
year
and
we
lost
a
lot
of
money.

It
was
a
very
big
budget
film
for
a
Gujarati
film
and
we
had
limited
resources.

Both
(my
husband)
Parthiv
(Gohil)
and
I
are
artists
first.
We
got
into
production
because
we
are
very
passionate
about
cinema.

People
were
like,
why
are
you
making
a
female-centric
film
in
a
Gujarati
space?

Who
will
watch
your
film?

People
only
want
to
watch
male
dominated
films
or
sitcoms
or
slapstick
comedies.

But
we
believed
in
the
film
and
really
wanted
to
go
ahead
and
make
it.

We
had
to
fight
a
lot
of
forces
like
budget
constraints
and
the
prejudices
against
a
female
narrative.

So
it
feels
like
a
huge
validation.

Did
you
decide
to
produce
a
film
for
yourself
because
you
weren’t
getting
good
roles?

Yes.
Instead
of
sitting
in
a
corner
and
crying
about
it,
(I
decided
to
do
something
about
it).

Like,
when
I
did

Uri
and
played
Vicky’s
(Kaushal)
sister
in
it,
everybody
started
casting
me
as
the
sister.

But
I
felt
I
have
more
potential
than
that.

And
one
can’t
keep
waiting
for
roles.

Gujarati
is
an
emerging
market
and
getting
so
interesting.
Immediately
after
stepping
into
Gujarati,
I
started
working
in
a
film
with
Paresh
Rawal
(Dear
Father).
I
also
did
a
film
with
Sharman
Joshi.

I
found
my
niche
there.

But
it’s
not
like
I
have
stopped
doing
Hindi
films;
that
will
have
its
own
trajectory.

I’m
very
enterprising
as
a
person,
that’s
why
I
decided
to
produce
films.

Anyway,
my
company
was
already
made;
we
had
been
producing
documentaries
and
ads.

Eventually,
we
wanted
to
get
into
films,
and
Gujarati
seemed
like
the
correct
market
because
Parthiv
and
I
both
know
that
market.

He
travels
across
the
world
doing
shows
for
Gujaratis.

And
we
had
friends
who
were
saying
that
if
you
are
making
films,
then

chalo,
we
will
invest.

That’s
how
with
this
whole
journey
started.

Kutch
Express
is
the
second
film
we
made
after

Gol
Keri.

After
that,
we
had
a
horror
comedy
called

Jhamkudi,
and
it
was
the
highest
grossing
Gujarati
film.

I’ve
realised
that
every
good
story
finds
its
audience.
The
language
doesn’t
matter
because
we
live
in
a
day
and
age
where
we
have
access
to
everything.

This
year,
two
people
from
the
south
and
one
from
Gujarat
have
won
the
main
awards.
It
says
so
much
about
how
consumption
has
changed.

Do
you
feel
validated
as
an
actor
after
20
years
of
being
in
the
business?

Absolutely!
It’s
great
to
be
in
a
position
where
I
have
created
an
opportunity
not
just
for
myself,
but
for
so
many
people
and
it’s
reached
this
level!

It’s
very
empowering.

How
did
you
become
an
actor?

I
was
always
a
singer;
I
never
wanted
to
be
an
actor.

When
I
was
in
college,
Ekta
Kapoor
was
auditioning
for
a
show
(Kitni
Mast
Hai
Zindagi
).
I
auditioned,
thinking
let’s
see
what
happens.

I
was
selected
from
six
people
across
the
country,
and
that’s
how
my
career
started.

I
started
doing
a
lot
of
television
shows
like

India
Calling,
Gulaal,
Sumit
Sambhal
Lega…

In
the
middle
of
that,
I
went
and
got
trained
at
the
Lee
Strasberg
Theatre
and
Film
School
in
New
York.

I
did
English
theatre,
Gujarati
theatre,
lots
of
ads,
then
Bollywood,
Gujarati
and
a
Tamil
film
in
the
middle
of
that!

I
have
always
been
open
to
experimentation.

I
have
never
slotted
myself.

That’s
why
I’ve
never
been
stereotyped
because
I
have
always
chosen
my
projects
wisely.

I
played
a
bitchy
daughter-in-law
in

Dear
Father,
a
docile
housewife
in

Kutch
Express,
a
stand-up
comedian
in

Gol
Keri…

Do
you
miss
being
a
singer?

I
think
destiny
had
acting
as
a
career
for
me.

Music
is
my
passion.

Like,
I
sang
a
song
for

Jhamkudi,
which
was
trending
on
Instagram
for
months.
I’ve
sung
for

Kutch
Express
as
well.

Your
daughter
Nirvi
sings
too.

Yes,
and
she
plays
the
piano
really
well.

She’s
only
seven-and-a-half,
but
this
Navratri,
she
sang
in
public
shows
in
front
of
a
10,000
people!

She’s
the
biggest
star
in
our
family.

How
do
you
find
that
balance
as
an
actor
and
a
mother?

I’ve
done
seven
films
ever
since
Nirvi
was
born.

I
make
sure
to
attend
all
the
PTMs
(Parent
Teacher
Meetings)
and
I’m
a
pretty
hands-on
mom.

While
I’m
talking
to
you,
I
have
three
kids
playing
in
my
house
right
now.
They
have
turned
the
whole
house
upside
down!

Nirvi
is
a
mimic.
She
mimics
people.
She
mimics
me
having
won
the
National
Award
and
how
I
cried!

How
difficult
is
it
to
find
work
as
an
actor
when
one
doesn’t
have
any
family
in
the
industry?

Very
difficult!

I
have
no
family
(in
the
industry),
no
network,
no
mentor.

I
haven’t
partied
to
get
work.

Still,
I’m
consistently
working
since
20
years
and
now
I
have
a
National
Award.

It
may
take
time,
but
if
you’re
consistently
at
it,
nothing
can
stop
you.

I
am
a
very
ambitious
girl,
but
I
am
equally
family
oriented.

It’s
a
great
example
for
women
who
wonder
if
it’s
possible
to
be
in
this
profession
and
have
a
family
too.

Has
your
acting
journey
been
difficult?

For
some
people,
it’s
been
a
cakewalk,
others
have
struggled.

I
was
just
reading
Triptii
Dimri’s
interview,
where
she
said
that
after

Bulbul
and

Qala,
she
waited
for
two-three
years
because
there
was
no
work.

So
even
a
Triptii
Dimri,
with
her
looks
and
filmography,
was
waiting,
so
you
never
know.

But
what
about
you?

Struggle

toh
kiya
hi
hai.

During
my
TV
phase,
between
television
projects,
there
would
be
months
of
no
work.

That
happened
to
me
after

Sumit
Sambhal
Lega
as
well.

Hindi

mein
thoda
time

lag
raha
tha
and
I’m
not
a
person
who
waits.

You
must
create
your
own
opportunities.