Despite receiving an enviable debut in director Alphonse Puthren’s Nivin Pauly and Sai Pallavi-starrer Premam (2016), which turned out to be a massive blockbuster, Anupama Parameswaran’s career in her home ground of Malayalam cinema has been anything but easy. Although she subsequently appeared in a handful of films, such as Prithviraj Sukumaran’s James & Alice (2016), and Dulquer Salmaan’s Jomonte Suvisheshangal (2017), Maniyarayile Ashokan (2020) and Kurup (2021), none of them significantly elevated her journey in the industry.
Meanwhile, she received back-to-back offers from the Tamil and Telugu industries, landing substantial roles that helped establish her as a South Indian star. The recent success of Dragon (2025), in which her performance received the most praise, has only cemented her status as a bankable actor.
Nonetheless, Anupama is now gearing up to try her luck in Malayalam once again, playing a key role in director Pravin Narayanan’s upcoming courtroom drama Janaki v/s State of Kerala, headlined by actor-politician Suresh Gopi. At a recent promotional event ahead of the movie’s release later this week, the Premam actor delivered an emotional speech that visibly moved Suresh Gopi. Taking the stage afterwards, he responded by extending his support to her.
Recalling that she faced several rejections in her early days in Malayalam cinema, Anupama revealed she had been the target of intense trolling too, with many bluntly dismissing her as talentless. “Many people rejected me in Malayalam, saying I didn’t know how to act. I also faced a lot of trolling,” she shared, while thanking director Pravin for giving her the opportunity to play a powerful role in Janaki v/s State of Kerala.
In response, Suresh Gopi remarked that Anupama wasn’t the only one to experience such mistreatment in the industry. He revealed that actor Simran too had faced similar neglect. “Anupama spoke from the heart. And this is not the first time something like this has happened. I know the truth; Simran was one such actress who was disregarded and let go by the Malayalam industry. But later, I personally know of top directors who went after her, hoping to cast her as the lead in Malayalam films,” he shared. In her early days, Simran had played a key role in the Mammootty-starrer Indraprastham (1995). It wasn’t until 2007 that she appeared in another Malayalam film, Indrajith Sukumaran’s Heart Beats.
Suresh Gopi also highlighted the careers of actors like Asin and Nayanthara, who, despite their Kerala origins and debuts in Malayalam cinema, found greater success in other languages. “Actors like Asin and Nayanthara blossomed into leading ladies admired across multiple languages. The same will happen in Anupama’s life too. This is what we call karma. It is bound to happen. My prayers are with her,” he added.
Watch Janaki v/s State of Kerala teaser here:
Although Asin made her debut in Sathyan Anthikad’s Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka (2001), starring Kunchacko Boban and Samyuktha Varma, it ultimately became her only film in Malayalam. Nayanthara, on the other hand, worked in five Malayalam films early in her career, beginning with Manassinakkare (2003) opposite Jayaram, followed by two films each alongside superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty, before expanding her reach into other industries. After that, she returned to Malayalam cinema in a lead role only in 2010. Her most recent Malayalam appearance was in Alphonse Puthren’s box-office bomb Gold (2022), where she starred alongside Prithviraj Sukumaran.
