Parvathy Thiruvoth is as known for her work in South cinema - Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam - as for her candour. The actress, who had created quite a stir after opening up about the existence of casting couch in Malayalam cinema, is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Tanuja Chandra's Qarib Qarib Singlle, opposite Irrfan. The film has her playing Jaya, a modern woman searching for love. In an interview with BT, Parvathy talks about love and relationships, her B-Town debut and why she will only take up films that are strong on content. Excerpts...

What made you choose an unconventional love story to make your debut in Bollywood?
I am quite content with my work in Malayalam cinema and so, there was never any reason to look outside for opportunities. And then, one day, out of the blue, I got a message from Tanuja, asking me if I would like to work with her. I was thrilled, because her stories have strong characters. It was never about doing a 'female-oriented' film because I don't believe in the word, but I wanted the character to connect with me. I was not even bothered if the film would work because that's not in your hands.

You are one of the leading actresses in South cinema, but while you have played strong, diverse characters, you haven't done films opposite South superstars...
I have worked with big actors, but honestly, I don't judge the viability of a project on the basis of the star value attached to it. It does not matter if my co-actor is small or big. There are stars and then there are brilliant actors and I am happy that in Qarib Qarib Singlle, I am working with Irrfan, who falls in the latter category.

You are one of the few actresses in India,who is known for speaking her mind. Recently,you caused a stir after opening up on the existence of casting couch in the Malayalam film industry...
For me, talking about the casting couch in the Malayalam film industry was like calling the sky blue. There is nothing new about calling a spade a spade. My intention was not to create an effect; I just wanted to pluck a few weeds in the system and throw them out.

You are also associated with many social causes, including the fight against child abuse. In fact, you have even stated that you were a victim of abuse as a child...
I am not only an actor, I am an active citizen as well. Statistics show that 99 per cent of the women in our country have been abused during their childhood. I am a survivor and I chose to speak about it unlike some other actresses. I want to make the work space more dignified and safe for women

What drew you to Jaya, your character in Qarib Qarib Singlle?
There are times when we feel a vacuum in our lives. We get tired looking for a partner and get comfortable with the daily grind. We lose interest even in communicating with a person, because love is a lot of hard work. We are so busy, we forget that there is a part of us that needs emotional nourishment. Jaya is somewhat like that - a modern, challenging character. While she is looking for love, she also believes that all relationships need not be about a happily ever after. Just because your love story did not culminate in marriage, it does not mean that you loved less. The minute you plunge into a relationship with a goal, the essence of the journey is lost. So, it is important to love and enjoy the pres ent moment than think of the future.

You seem to have a profound take on love and relationships. So, what is your ideal man like?
More than anything else, he has to be genuine. I can easily sense if a person is pretentious, insecure or selfish. Looks have never mattered to me.

You said that looks don't matter to you. However, we generally tend to like all this good-looking, especially the lead pair...
Good-looking people and beautiful locations have nothing to do with romance. And that's what we are trying to change with our film. If we continue to feed audience with the idea that love happens only to pretty people, it is wrong. It is high time we change the narrative because many people are suffering due to such stories.

Qarib Qarib Singlle marks Tanuja's return to direction after a long gap. How was it working with her? As an actor, how different did you find Bollywood from the South film industry?
Tanuja is a taskmaster, but she also possesses a good understanding of people and their strengths. I also found Irrfan to be a generous actor. Films are all about teamwork and he did not keep his learnings to himself. It was great sharing knowledge with such creative individuals. Talking about the difference between Bollywood and the South film industry, the most striking one is the demography of the audience. Also, Hindi films have a larger reach and they enjoy bigger budgets. However, the goals of filmmaking are the same everywhere.