Actress, singer, and National Award winner Manasi Parekh has come a long way since the early days of her career when industry insiders dismissed her potential, citing her looks and life choices as career liabilities. In a heart-to-heart conversation on Sheroes, a special chat show by The Free Press Journal, Manasi opened up about the hurtful comments she received when starting out and how she rose above it all.
Manasi reveals she was once told she wasn't pretty enough to be an actress. “I have heard things like, 'you are not pretty enough, no one will cast you in the lead'. I was also told by a producer when I got married, 'why are you getting married? You will get fat after marriage. Then who will cast you?' And I was like, 'Why will I get fat after marriage?' And I mean, here I am, very much working, been 20 years in the industry…”
Manasi, who is now a mother to an eight-year-old daughter, adds, “I am a mom, but I’m still working. So all those notions and myths, I was like, I don’t know whether they are right or not, maybe they will be, but for me, I am going to live my life. I won’t keep my life aside for my career. I want to move both of them forward.”
Touching on the societal pressure women often face to delay personal milestones until they’ve “made it,” she reflects, “Because what happens is, as a woman, you want to prove yourself, right? So you put aside your entire life till your career gets established. And then when you’re established in your career, now you realise, it’s too late now, I can’t adjust with anyone. It happens. So I didn’t want to be in that situation.”
Thankfully, she found the right partner early on. Praising her husband, singer Parthiv Gohil, for being her rock, Manasi shares “I knew I found the right guy. I got married to Parthiv. I’m thankful he’s an artist, he understands me. My entire career has happened after I got married. And my entire career in films has happened after I became a mother. So never say never, everything is possible. There are no rules anymore. And that’s the best part about that. There are no rules. You make your own rules.”
Manasi also fondly recalls Parthvi's unwavering support after the birth of their daughter Nirvi. “He’s that kind of a husband who’s like, 'don’t worry, we’ll get the best nannies, we’ll figure it out for Nirvi. You want to start working then go ahead'. I started working in my third month after giving birth to Nirvi, because the work offers were coming. He said, 'you do it. We’ll figure it out. That should not stop.' So, he’s an extremely progressive and feminist guy.”
Ending on a powerful note, the actress says, “I think choosing your life partner is like a career choice. It is the biggest choice of your career. Because only if he’s supportive, will you be able to have a good career. If he’s not and he doesn’t understand it, you might get frustrated and feel like, 'where am I stuck?' So, we are both been blessed like that.”
