Palak Tiwari Reveals How Mom Shweta Would React Were She To Feature In Intimate Scenes

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; April 29, 2022)

Palak Tiwari is all set to make her debut in Bollywood with Rosie: The Saffron Chapter. She is unfazed by the comparisons with her mother – television actress Shweta Tiwari — that are bound to happen. In a chat with BT, the young actress gets candid about wanting to do films instead of television, her family, and making peace with her father, actor Raja Chaudhary. Excerpts…

Most newcomers make their debut with a quintessential romantic film. Why did you choose a psychological thriller?
Initially, I, too, wanted to make my debut with a typical Bollywood potboiler. However, at this point as a newcomer, I would love to discover new things. When Rosie was offered to me, the very fact that it was not a conventional film to debut with is what made me want to do the project. I want to do things that challenge me and allow me to show my capabilities early on in my career.

Your mother is a popular actress on television. Did she put in a word for you?
I could have had many advantages in the television industry, as my mother has many contacts there. I have turned them down because TV isn’t my cup of tea. In fact, my mother has always told me that she wants to help me more, but I want to make it on my own. Everything in my life that I have is because of my mother. This is one place where I want her to just relax and not worry about me (smiles).

Are you disillusioned about love and marriage after seeing your mother go through two failed marriages (first with Raja Chaudhary and then with Abhinav Kohli)?
Not at all, because I have always seen my mother be a good wife. I have also seen my naani. So, I know that love exists, and my idea of love and marriage has not been tainted. But I have also realised that one should not rush into marriage. If you feel something is wrong with the person, it’s better to leave him at that moment. Women struggle with that the most and I have seen that with not just my mother, but women from around the world. We keep justifying things for our partners because we want to see the good in people. It’s a great quality, but it will come back to bite. That’s not love or at least that’s not the kind of love I want — not now, not ever.

How do you deal with the nasty comments and stories that surface about your mother? Do you ever feel like clearing the air for her?
We don’t spend a lot of time convincing people about our side of the story. My mother’s priority has been to make sure that the family is protected. That’s what I have focused on as well.

In an interview with BT, a few months earlier, your father (Raja Chaudhary) had said that he met you on a couple of occasions and things have become better between him and you. How is your equation with him?
After going through sobriety, he is finding himself again and is in a really good place. It’s been a fresh start for us. Also, people expect us to go back to being the perfect father-daughter duo, but that’s not how it works. We have spent a fair amount of time apart from each other because he was dealing with his issues and I was growing up. Now that we are getting to know each other, it’s from scratch.

Coming back to your life, what about matters of the heart and romance? You were recently spotted with Ibrahim Ali Khan...
It’s rubbish and rumours are just rumours. At the risk of sounding clichéd, I think I am too young for love, at least the kind I have grown up watching, which is Bollywood (laughs!). That love is so intense and profound. At this point, I don’t think I am capable of loving someone beyond my family, like that. So, love is not on cards anytime, soon.