Anupama Parameswaran, one of South India’s most popular young actors, has revealed that her first experience facing the camera came with rejection during the audition for her debut film ‘Premam’.

In a conversation with Baradwaj Rangan for Galatta Plus, the Malayalam and Telugu cinema star looked back on the film that launched her career. She said her strongest memory from the shoot was not the success that followed but the struggle to even secure her role. 

“It was the first time I got rejected, and that’s the memory I remember most. I was called for an audition, and I had never faced a camera before that. If I search, I won’t even find a single video of me prior to that — I only had photographs. I was very new to cinema, very new to the camera, and I had never attended an audition before. They gave me a script, and I didn’t even know what a script was,” she recalled.

The actor admitted she was so unprepared that she performed the way she once did in a college drama — stepping forward to say her lines — which left director Alphonse Puthren unimpressed. “They said, ‘Cut! You can’t do that.’ The second time, they said ‘Action,’ and I did the same. The third time as well. Then they said, ‘Okay, okay, good, good, we’ll let you know’,” she said, adding that she left the audition in tears.

Anupama said she was advised by a crew member to practise delivering lines in front of a mirror if she wanted to pursue acting. She said, “‘I understand this movie might not work for you, but in the future, if you ever want to become an actor, imagine a scene from any film, go in front of a mirror, and practise your lines. That’s how you build confidence and learn to deliver your dialogues properly.’ I was so sad. I had never been rejected before. I used to participate in competitions and win prizes, but this was the first time I faced rejection.

Heartbroken by the rejection, she returned to her college hostel and privately repeated the line “George, ith George” in tears for days.

Two weeks later, she was called back for another audition. Initially, her mother was hesitant to send her again after seeing how upset she had been. My mother said, “‘Last time you made my child cry, we are not sending her,’ but they requested that I go. Again, they said ‘Action,’ and this time I delivered the lines properly. So that’s one memory I have and that day changed my life.”

Since then, Anupama has built a reputation for her versatility, winning over audiences in both Malayalam and Telugu cinema.

The actor will next be seen in ‘Paradha’, directed by Praveen Kandregula. The film follows Subbu, a young woman from a conservative village whose life changes during a trekking expedition. The project, which Anupama said left her emotional as she shouldered the weight of leading a woman-centric narrative, also marks the Telugu debut of Malayalam star Darshana Rajendran. Rag Mayur and Sangeetha round out the ensemble cast, with music by Gopi Sundar and cinematography by Mridul Sen.

‘Paradha’ is slated to release on August 22, 2025.