# Parvathy Thiruvothu
**Parvathy Thiruvothu** (പാർവ്വതി തിരുവോത്ത്; born 1988) is an Indian actress known for her work in [Malayalam cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/malayalam-cinema), with additional roles in Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, and Telugu films and series. She debuted in the 2006 Malayalam film *Out of Syllabus*, rose to prominence with the Tamil film *Poo* (2008), and is identified with landmark contemporary Malayalam films including *Bangalore Days*, *Ennu Ninte Moideen*, *Charlie*, and *Take Off*.[1](https://malayalam.samayam.com/entertainment/parvathy-thiruvothu-bio) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1053894-parvathy-thiruvothu) • [3](https://www.news18.com/entertainment/birthday-special-lesser-known-facts-about-actress-paravathy-thiruvothu-7500367.html) She is also a co-founder of the Women in Cinema Collective and a public voice on gender and representation in Indian film.[4](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/women-of-the-year-2020-voice-of-reason-parvathy-thiruvothu)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988, Kozhikode district, Kerala, to P. Vinodkumar and T.K. Ushakumari[1](https://malayalam.samayam.com/entertainment/parvathy-thiruvothu-bio) |
| Debut | *Out of Syllabus* (2006, Malayalam)[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1053894-parvathy-thiruvothu) |
| Breakthrough | Maari in the Tamil film *Poo* (2008)[3](https://www.news18.com/entertainment/birthday-special-lesser-known-facts-about-actress-paravathy-thiruvothu-7500367.html) |
| Kerala State Film Awards | Best Actress for *Ennu Ninte Moideen* and *Charlie* (dated 2015 or 2016 by different sources), and for *Take Off*[1](https://malayalam.samayam.com/entertainment/parvathy-thiruvothu-bio) • [5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) |
| Other honors | National Film Awards special mention and IFFI Special Jury Award for Best Female Actor for *Take Off*; Filmfare Awards for *Poo*, *Bangalore Days*, and *Ennu Ninte Moideen*[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2527173/bio/) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1053894-parvathy-thiruvothu) |
| Filmography | Just over 40 works, counting upcoming films and anthology shorts[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) |
| Recent work | Streaming roles in *Kadak Singh* and *Dhootha* (December 2023); *Her*, *Ullozhukku*, and *Thangalaan* (2024)[7](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2023/Dec/16/onwards-and-upwardssouthern-actor-parvathy-thiruvothu-seals-her-place-as-pan-indian-star-2641549.html) • [5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) |
## Early life and background
Parvathy was born in 1988 in Kozhikode district, Kerala, to P. Vinodkumar and T.K. Ushakumari, and the family later moved to [Thiruvananthapuram](https://www.edgepedia.org/thiruvananthapuram).[1](https://malayalam.samayam.com/entertainment/parvathy-thiruvothu-bio) She completed her primary education at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pangode, and earned a BA in English from the University of Thiruvananthapuram.[1](https://malayalam.samayam.com/entertainment/parvathy-thiruvothu-bio) She has also trained as a [Bharatanatyam](https://www.edgepedia.org/bharatanatyam) dancer.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2527173/bio/)
Her entry into media came through television. In a February 2025 interview she said that after school her mother enrolled her in a TV contest called *Malayali Manga*, after which she began anchoring on Kiran TV and then received offers for *Out of Syllabus* and *Notebook*.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2025/Feb/09/parvathy-thiruvothu-i-would-love-to-do-comedy-i-am-actually-very-funny) She holds a master's degree in English Literature and has said she would like to play characters from Madhavikutty's books and from [Alice Walker](https://www.edgepedia.org/alice-walker)'s *By The Light of my Father's Smile*.[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform)
## Career beginnings and breakthrough
She debuted in the 2006 Malayalam film *Out of Syllabus*, directed by Viswanathan, playing a nursing student.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1053894-parvathy-thiruvothu) • [3](https://www.news18.com/entertainment/birthday-special-lesser-known-facts-about-actress-paravathy-thiruvothu-7500367.html) • [5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) Her second film, *Notebook*, dealt with teenage pregnancy.[7](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2023/Dec/16/onwards-and-upwardssouthern-actor-parvathy-thiruvothu-seals-her-place-as-pan-indian-star-2641549.html)
**Tamil breakthrough.** Her prominence came with the 2008 Tamil film *Poo*, directed by Sasi, in which she played the village girl Maari.[3](https://www.news18.com/entertainment/birthday-special-lesser-known-facts-about-actress-paravathy-thiruvothu-7500367.html) She won the [Filmfare Award for Best Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-award-for-best-actress) for the role; sources date the award to 2008[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1053894-parvathy-thiruvothu) or 2009,[3](https://www.news18.com/entertainment/birthday-special-lesser-known-facts-about-actress-paravathy-thiruvothu-7500367.html) and she also received the Vijay TV Newcomer Award.[3](https://www.news18.com/entertainment/birthday-special-lesser-known-facts-about-actress-paravathy-thiruvothu-7500367.html)
Her surname carries a documented history. According to The News Minute, she clarified in a 2015 Facebook post that journalists had added Menon to her name and it was never her surname; she also expressed reluctance to attach a caste name to her name.[3](https://www.news18.com/entertainment/birthday-special-lesser-known-facts-about-actress-paravathy-thiruvothu-7500367.html) A 2020 profile notes she has publicly criticized the wrong attribution of a casteist surname to her.[4](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/women-of-the-year-2020-voice-of-reason-parvathy-thiruvothu) Her full name is given in databases as Parvathy Thiruvothu Kottuvatta.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1053894-parvathy-thiruvothu)
## Major films and cross-industry work
Her Malayalam films include *Take Off*, *Charlie*, *Koode*, *Bangalore Days*, *Ennu Ninte Moideen*, and *Notebook*; her Tamil films include *Poo*, *Uttama Villian*, and *Maryan*; and her Kannada films include *Milana*, *Prithvi*, and *Andar Bahar*.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2527173/bio/) She made her Hindi debut opposite [Irrfan Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/irrfan-khan) in *Qarib Qarib Singlle* (2017), playing the widow Jaya Shashidharan.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2527173/bio/) • [4](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/women-of-the-year-2020-voice-of-reason-parvathy-thiruvothu)
Several of these roles became reference points in contemporary Malayalam cinema: the paraplegic radio jockey Sarah in *Bangalore Days* (2014), Kanchanamala in *Ennu Ninte Moideen* (2015), Tessa in *Charlie* (2015), the nurse Sameera in the hostage drama *Take Off* (2017), the acid attack survivor in *Uyare* (2019), and a medical officer in *Virus* (2019).[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) • [4](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/women-of-the-year-2020-voice-of-reason-parvathy-thiruvothu) Her portrayal of Kanchanamala, a real-life figure described as very dear to Malayalis, won her immediate critical recognition.[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform)
**The early-2010s gap.** In her 2025 interview she described a brief absence from Malayalam cinema in the early 2010s followed by the run of hits *Bangalore Days*, *Ennu Ninte Moideen*, *Charlie*, and *Take Off*, and said that an actor with back-to-back hits should not have done so few Malayalam films, attributing the gap to lost opportunities.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2025/Feb/09/parvathy-thiruvothu-i-would-love-to-do-comedy-i-am-actually-very-funny)
## By the numbers
Her filmography stands at just over 40 works, counting upcoming films and anthology shorts.[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) She has won three [Kerala State Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/kerala-state-film-awards), a [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards) special mention, and the [International Film Festival of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-film-festival-of-india)'s Special Jury Award for Best Female Actor for *Take Off*, which made her the first Indian actor to receive that award.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2527173/bio/) • [5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) On the commercial side, an aggregator profile lists her top films' combined box office at $20M, with *Ennu Ninte Moideen* as her biggest hit.[9](https://www.loaded.ai/person/parvathy-thiruvothu) One documented commercial and critical success is *Uyare*, about an aspiring pilot disfigured by an acid attack, which was both critically acclaimed and a box office hit, released before Deepika Padukone's *Chhapaak* (2020).[4](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/women-of-the-year-2020-voice-of-reason-parvathy-thiruvothu)
## Acting style and critical reception
Critics and the actor herself frame her career around selective, character-driven roles. A retrospective in The News Minute notes she has clearly been selective, but also a victim of lost work opportunities linked to the activism she leads.[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) She has said she had no inkling that Sarah in *Bangalore Days* would become such a loved character, naming Tessa in *Charlie* and her role in *Ennu Ninte Moideen* as other widely loved characters.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2025/Feb/09/parvathy-thiruvothu-i-would-love-to-do-comedy-i-am-actually-very-funny) Her preparation draws on personal experience: for *Uyare* she said that her own experiences of not putting self-respect first while trying to make a relationship work came into play.[4](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/women-of-the-year-2020-voice-of-reason-parvathy-thiruvothu) In the 2025 interview she said she would love to do comedy, adding that she is actually very funny.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2025/Feb/09/parvathy-thiruvothu-i-would-love-to-do-comedy-i-am-actually-very-funny)
## Awards and recognition
Her documented honors span state, national, and international bodies.
- **Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress** for *Ennu Ninte Moideen* and *Charlie*: Samayam Malayalam dates it to 2015,[1](https://malayalam.samayam.com/entertainment/parvathy-thiruvothu-bio) while The News Minute says she won her first state award the following year, 2016.[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform)
- **Kerala State Film Award for *[Take Off](https://www.edgepedia.org/take-off)***, plus a special mention at the National Film Awards, which she had already won by 2017.[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform)
- **IFFI Special Jury Award for Best Female Actor** for *Take Off*, the first ever received by an Indian actor.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2527173/bio/)
- **Filmfare Awards**: Best Actress for *Poo* (dated 2008 or 2009 by different sources), Best Supporting Actress for *Bangalore Days* (2014), and Best Actress – Malayalam for *Ennu Ninte Moideen* (2015).[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1053894-parvathy-thiruvothu) • [3](https://www.news18.com/entertainment/birthday-special-lesser-known-facts-about-actress-paravathy-thiruvothu-7500367.html)
- A 2020 profile counts a couple of dozen awards overall, including the National Film Awards special mention for *Take Off*.[4](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/women-of-the-year-2020-voice-of-reason-parvathy-thiruvothu)
## Public voice and industry impact
Parvathy co-founded the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an organization for equal opportunities, and has been a vocal critic of misogyny, discrimination, and the gender pay gap in the Malayalam film industry.[4](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/women-of-the-year-2020-voice-of-reason-parvathy-thiruvothu) A 2024 interview in [The Week](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-week) identified her as a WCC member speaking about delays in justice amid the #[MeToo movement](https://www.edgepedia.org/metoo-movement) in Malayalam cinema, describing her over the previous seven years as a relentless fighter for her fellow women in cinema.[10](https://www.theweek.in/magazine/theweek/cover/2024/08/31/actor-and-member-of-women-in-cinema-collective-parvathy-thiruvothu-interview.html) She also featured in [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4)'s *Unreported World* documentary on the Me Too campaign in the film industry.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2527173/bio/)
Her advocacy has intersected with her film work. [Anjali Menon](https://www.edgepedia.org/anjali-menon), a filmmaker and key member of the collective, cast her among the leads in *Koode* (2018), and WCC ally [Aashiq Abu](https://www.edgepedia.org/aashiq-abu) directed her in *Virus* (2019), while *Uyare* (2019) was produced by three women.[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) Regarding her working method, she has maintained that auditioning is essential no matter how well known a performer may be, faulting directors who assign parts to established names in advance; in her words, success can become the greatest failure because directors then stop asking you to read for roles.[7](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2023/Dec/16/onwards-and-upwardssouthern-actor-parvathy-thiruvothu-seals-her-place-as-pan-indian-star-2641549.html)
## What has changed since 2023
In December 2023 she was described as a pan-Indian star following her second Hindi film, *Kadak Singh*, and her first Telugu project, the crime series *Dhootha*, both released on streaming platforms that month.[7](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2023/Dec/16/onwards-and-upwardssouthern-actor-parvathy-thiruvothu-seals-her-place-as-pan-indian-star-2641549.html) She said it took her 17 years to get a Telugu project; her roles there were a nurse treating a patient of retrograde amnesia in *Kadak Singh* and a feisty DCP in *Dhootha*.[7](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2023/Dec/16/onwards-and-upwardssouthern-actor-parvathy-thiruvothu-seals-her-place-as-pan-indian-star-2641549.html) In 2024 she appeared in the Tamil film *Thangalaan*, directed by Pa Ranjith with Vikram, and in the Malayalam films *Her*, playing a lesbian character, and *Ullozhukku*, playing a widow bonding with her mother-in-law.[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform) • [7](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2023/Dec/16/onwards-and-upwardssouthern-actor-parvathy-thiruvothu-seals-her-place-as-pan-indian-star-2641549.html)
As of 2026 she was working on several projects simultaneously, including *Storm*, a production from Hrithik Roshan's HRX banner with Prime Video, the second season of *Dhootha*, two unannounced Hindi projects, and the Malayalam ensemble film *Homo Sapiens*, which she described as lighter than her recent work.[11](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/parvathy-thiruvothu-pradhama-drishtiya-kuttakkar-industry-activism-1236870950/)
## References
1. [പാർവ്വതി തിരുവോത്ത്: സിനിമകൾ, ജീവചരിത്രം, Samayam Malayalam](https://malayalam.samayam.com/entertainment/parvathy-thiruvothu-bio)
2. [Parvathy Thiruvothu, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1053894-parvathy-thiruvothu)
3. [Birthday Special: Lesser-known Facts About Actress Paravathy Thiruvothu, News18](https://www.news18.com/entertainment/birthday-special-lesser-known-facts-about-actress-paravathy-thiruvothu-7500367.html)
4. [Women Of The Year 2020: Voice Of Reason Parvathy Thiruvothu, Man's World India](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/women-of-the-year-2020-voice-of-reason-parvathy-thiruvothu)
5. [Parvathy Thiruvothu: Two decades of cinema, risk, and refusal to conform, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/parvathy-thiruvothu-two-decades-of-cinema-risk-and-refusal-to-conform)
6. [Parvathy Thiruvothu – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2527173/bio/)
7. [Onwards and upwards: Southern actor Parvathy Thiruvothu seals her place as pan-Indian star, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2023/Dec/16/onwards-and-upwardssouthern-actor-parvathy-thiruvothu-seals-her-place-as-pan-indian-star-2641549.html)
8. [Parvathy Thiruvothu: I would love to do comedy, Cinema Express (February 2025)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2025/Feb/09/parvathy-thiruvothu-i-would-love-to-do-comedy-i-am-actually-very-funny)
9. [Parvathy Thiruvothu: Filmography & Loaded profile](https://www.loaded.ai/person/parvathy-thiruvothu)
10. ['Delay in justice amounts to apathy': Actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, The Week (August 2024)](https://www.theweek.in/magazine/theweek/cover/2024/08/31/actor-and-member-of-women-in-cinema-collective-parvathy-thiruvothu-interview.html)
11. [Parvathy Thiruvothu on Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar, Industry Activism, Variety (2026)](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/parvathy-thiruvothu-pradhama-drishtiya-kuttakkar-industry-activism-1236870950/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Malayalam film actors › Surnames S to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license