Today marks the birthday of Anupama Parameswaran, the curly-haired talent who captured hearts with her debut as Mary George in the 2015 superhit film ‘Premam’. Her entry into cinema was quiet but unforgettable. She stood out not only for her screen presence but also for how effortlessly she connected with audiences.
After ‘Premam’ she went on to deliver several successful films across Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam cinema. As she celebrates her birthday, it is a fitting moment to revisit a statement she once made: “I didn’t want to be that person who dreams of the movies and gets nowhere.”
When cinema felt too far to dream of
In a 2024 conversation with Vogue India, she recalled her early hesitations.
“Have you seen the song ‘Pinakkamaano’ from Ananthabhadram?” she asked. “Kavya Madhavan was so pretty in it. I remember feeling jealous that she got to enact a Varma painting. ” Even with admiration for that world, she never imagined herself in it. Growing up in Irinjalakuda which is a quiet town in Kerala bordered by canals and paddy fields, cinema felt distant for her and the glow of the local single-screen theatre seemed like a universe away. “I didn’t want to be that person who dreams of the movies and gets nowhere,” she admitted. Her childhood, grounded and simple.
Acting arrived to Anupama Parameswaran as a twist of fate
Acting arrived not through ambition but through timing and chance for the ‘Premam’ star. She describes it as something that appeared “unexpected” and “inevitable,” as if the path had been circling around her for years. When the offer for Premam came after her brief involvement in theatre she chose silence over excitement.
Anupama even kept it from her college friends. She told them she was taking medical leave. Her fear was straightforward. “With cinema, you just don’t know. What if they cut me out? What if it never saw the light of day?” she said.
‘Premam’ changed everything overnight
‘Premam’ did much more than release. It became a cultural moment. The film connected deeply with young audiences who connected with its portrayal of love, longing, and nostalgia. Anupama’s Mary George became iconic. Viewers who watched the film in theatres still recall how naturally she filled the role along with Sai Pallavi who played the iconic ‘Malar’ miss.
Since that breakout in 2015, Anupama has built a stable and respected career across four major industries—Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada. Her previous outing in Mollywood was with the Suresh Gopi starrer ‘JSK’.
