Priya Prakash Varier: I’ve felt anxious about work, but am on track now

While experienced overnight fame across India when the Manikya Malaraya Poovi video song from Oru Adaar Love was released in 2018, the response to her subsequent films have been less than enthusiastic. But the young actor looks set to have her career back on track with upcoming Malayalam thriller , directed by debutant Suraj Varma, and a Bollywood Abbas-Mustan thriller. She tells Kochi Times about her inverted career path, feeling anxious about work and getting back her professional focus. Excerpts…

Tell us about your upcoming Malayalam film.

‘It has been over four years since I’ve done a Malayalam film. The script is by Bobby-Sanjay and it is a thriller, so I can’t reveal much about my character, except that I play one of the leads, with Rajisha Vijayan and Vinay Forrt.

You started with a bang in 2018, but have done only a couple of films since then. Has it left you feeling angsty?

The usual journey is that people struggle for a while and then come to the limelight and make it big. Luckily, I didn’t have to struggle a lot at first, with the viral video and its ensuing hype. But my struggle and journey started post that. Not being in a movie for four years has been a conscious choice from my side, because I did not want to do anything random. I was waiting to do something that would give me the opportunity to perform. I really wanted to come out of that ‘’ image. I’ve had a lot of offers, but have been waiting for the right script and character.

For someone who broke records on numbers with the most number of followers obtained in a day and such, it is surprising that you also go on digital detox sometimes. Was it because you have found the interest in you too much?

It was overwhelming, especially amidst Covid. Not to sound entitled, but it was confusing, and I was feeling a bit anxious and uncertain about what was going to happen. Honestly, I felt restless, because I was in my early 20s and I felt, this is the time I should be working and hustling. But the years were just passing, and I wasn’t seeing the kind of growth that I would like to see.

Social media was just adding on to the pressure and I felt I had to keep adding content, though I wasn’t feeling like it. So I wanted to take a break and honestly, it felt amazing to do so.

I always knew the frenzy would be up and down. Even when my numbers went up like crazy on social media, I made a conscious choice to not let it get in my head, because I knew it would fade off. Also, I was never able to figure out why I got such hype and also had such a downfall. I am just focussed on being part of good movies. That is my only aim now.

You were part of a trendy, influencer set, that included and stylist Gayu, but you don’t seem to hang out with them now.

We are still friends, but I was never part of that group. I cannot constantly be part of their content; that is what they do for a living, while I am an actor by profession. It was just that during Covid I had time on my hands and I was hanging out with them a lot. Right now, things are getting back on track for me, so I don’t have as much time to chill.

You did some bold photoshoots and wore trendy clothes, which were ahead of their time for Kerala. How did you have the confidence to do this?

Somehow, from a very young age, I have felt on some level that I don’t belong here.

Even in my thought process, I don’t think I fit in. I always wanted to expand my horizons and I was influenced by Bollywood and Hollywood. And I was always conscious of fashion and I made an extra effort to stand out in how I look, carry myself and in the clothes I wear. This is not just because I got into the film industry. And anyway, I think it is high time we normalise whatever people are comfortable wearing.

You had pan-Indian appeal, before that became a thing since Covid. Have you had any interesting Bollywood offers?

I have just completed an Abbas-Mustan thriller with an ensemble cast, that includes Arjun Rampal, and I am auditioning for a lot of stuff in Bollywood. Definitely, I’m aiming for bigger things in other industries.