As
Charlie
completes
ten
years,
the
film’s
enduring
legacy
is
inseparable
from
its
leading
lady,
Parvathy
Thiruvothu.
Directed
by
Martin
Prakkat
and
headlined
by
Dulquer
Salmaan
in
the
titular
role,
the
adventure
drama
is
especially
remembered
for
Parvathy’s
performance
as
Tessa
–
a
role
that
earned
her
one
of
the
most
prestigious
honours
in
Malayalam
cinema,
the
Kerala
State
Film
Award
for
Best
Actress.
A
decade
on,
Tessa
remains
one
of
Parvathy’s
one
of
the
most
iconic
performances,
redefining
the
female
protagonist
in
mainstream
Malayalam
cinema
and
firmly
cementing
her
reputation
as
an
actor
of
depth.
Released
on
24th
December
2015,
Charlie
went
on
to
win
eight
awards
at
the
46th
Kerala
State
Film
Awards;
Parvathy’s
win
stood
out
as
a
defining
moment
both
for
the
actor
and
for
the
kind
of
female
characters
Malayalam
cinema
was
beginning
to
embrace.
As
Tessa,
a
young
graphic
artist
who
refuses
to
be
boxed
into
convention,
Parvathy
became
the
film’s
emotional
and
narrative
compass.
Tessa
is
the
one
who
sets
the
story
in
motion.
Fleeing
an
arranged
marriage,
she
rents
an
apartment
once
occupied
by
the
elusive
Charlie.
When
she
discovers
his
sketchbook
filled
with
unfinished
stories,
curiosity
turns
into
purpose.
What
follows
is
not
a
love
story
in
the
traditional
sense,
but
a
journey
of
Tessa
tracing
Charlie’s
past
through
the
people
he
touched,
while
carving
out
her
own
sense
of
freedom
along
the
way.
It
is
her
gaze,
her
questions,
and
her
choices
that
guide
the
audience
through
the
film.
Looking
back
at
the
role
a
decade
later,
Parvathy
says,
“Tessa
wasn’t
super
rebellious,
or
trying
to
prove
a
point.
Her
strength
lay
in
her
curiosity,
her
gentleness,
and
her
refusal
to
live
a
life
that
didn’t
feel
true
to
her.
She
was
just
simply
choosing
herself,
and
that’s
a
privilege
for
so
many
women
out
there.
Tessa’s
journey
was
as
inward,
emotional,
and
human
as
it
was
loud
and
colourful
and
flamboyant
and
the
fact
that
it
was
celebrated
meant
a
great
deal
to
me.
Even
after
ten
years,
the
love
for
Charlie
speaks
to
the
fact
that
honesty
in
performance
always
finds
its
way
to
people.
Tessa
changed
me
as
an
actor,
and
the
audience’s
response
assured
me
that
it’s
okay
to
trust
something
that
feels
unconventional
but
true
to
you.
As
important
as
the
awards
are,
the
best
feeling
is
still
when
people
come
up
to
me
and
say
that
watching
Tessa
gave
us
permission
to
follow
our
hearts.”
As
she
continues
to
expand
her
repertoire,
Parvathy’s
recent
and
upcoming
projects
include
I,
Nobody
(directed
by
Nissam
Basheer,
co-starring
Prithviraj
Sukumaran),
Prathama
Drishtya
Kuttakkaar
(directed
by
Shahad),
a
film
with
Don
Palathara,
and
the
HRX-backed
series
Storm.