Exclusive | Manasi Parekh on Chumbakk: 'After Kutch Express, I was looking for something challenging'

After winning the National Award for Kutch Express Manasi Parekh was keen to take on a role that would push her into unfamiliar territory That opportunity came with Chumbakk where she plays Priyanka a chatty outspoken mother whose everyday interactions with her family and friends bring a comic layer to the Netflix seriesManasi Parekh on bagging ChumbakkIn an exclusive conversation Parekh opened up about what drew her to the show and why Priyanka became an exciting challenge ldquoAfter the National Award which I got for Kutch Express I was really looking for something challenging and something different That is when JD sir and Aatish bhai called me The show is for Netflix And its a very different challenging characterrdquo she saidThe actor was particularly intrigued by the range the character offered ldquoTheres going to be a lot of talking And theres a lot of different things she does which you have not done in any of your films or showsrdquo she recalled The opportunity to work with an ensemble featuring several experienced actors further sealed the deal for her ldquoThen I got to know I was going to be acting opposite this incredible ensemble cast Where do you get such a cast all amazing veterans and icons in one show It was a nobrainer I was like we had to work on itrdquo she addedFor Parekh creating Priyanka went beyond delivering her lines She worked on the characterrsquos body language manner of speaking and her equation with her two sons Being a mother herself also helped her connect with the characterrsquos everyday experiencesldquoYou know the body language the way she talks on what kind of a mother she is with the two kids But then I was like why not Because I am a mother of a nineyearoldrdquo she said Parekh added that several situations Priyanka encounters with her children felt familiar to her as a parentldquoThere are so many things that I as a parent go through which Priyanka goes through with her two sons And so many people have told me that lsquoOh my God we relate so much with the scenes with the kids These are the conversations we have with our kidsrsquordquo she saidHer character dynamicsThe characterrsquos dynamic with the children has also struck a chord with younger viewers Parekh recalled her daughterrsquos reaction to one of the episodes saying ldquoMy daughter loved that episode She said lsquoMamma what a smart kid he isrsquo I was like lsquoDont learn this from the showrsquo But people are loving it Kids are going crazyrdquoWhile Priyanka often becomes the source of comic relief through her incessant talking Parekh believes the writing ensures that she never becomes a caricature She credits Aatish Kapadia for giving the character enough layers to make her feel realldquoThatrsquos the beauty of the writing of this character and that credit goes to Aatish bhai He doesnt make them caricature because in every situation she keeps blabbering There are situations where she stops blabberingrdquo Parekh saidAccording to the actor that contrast is what makes Priyanka relatable ldquoAnd that is how people are People are not onedimensional They are complex And I think that dichotomy he has brought about beautifully in her scenesrdquo she addedParekh pointed to Priyankarsquos interactions with her friends as an example Recalling a scene involving Twinklersquos character and the revelation that Priyankarsquos husband is having an affair she explained how the characterrsquos instinct changes when confronted with something seriousldquoWhen she has to reel to Twinkles character that her husband is having an affair I mean she doesnt do it She dumps it on the other person At that point she doesnt want to say anythingrdquo she saidThe same vulnerability emerges in her scenes with her children ldquoWith her children also there is a time when she does get absolutely dumbfounded Like what should I say now With her husband that has not happened yetrdquo Parekh said with a laughFor Parekh it is this unpredictability that makes Priyanka a departure from the characters she has played before Beneath the chatter and comic timing is a woman navigating motherhood relationships and situations that sometimes leave her without an answer making Priyanka both entertaining and recognisable