Manasi Parekh: From Chumbak and Uri to a 100-Crore Fund

Manasi Parekh has rarely let one medium define her. The actor-producer, who started on television with Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi in 2004, has since moved through Tamil cinema, Bollywood, Gujarati films and OTT. In a new Filmfare interview, she connects the dots between that two-decade run, a National Award, her current role in Chumbak and the producing ambitions that come next.

The identity stayed fluid

Parekh says the version of her that began on television never treated small opportunities as placeholders. Her rule was simpler: stay an artist, not a category. “I never defined myself as a television actor or a model,” she told Filmfare.

That refusal to self-slot became the thread through every shift. Winning the National Award for her own film felt significant because it arrived after marriage, motherhood and producing—proof that a long career can keep compounding if you refuse to lock yourself into one identity.

Comedy after a National Award

The National Award did not make her chase only serious roles. In Chumbak, she plays Priyanka, a talkative, chaotic and family-obsessed character whose dialogue “Boliye, boliye” has become a fan catchphrase. For Hindi film fans, it is the kind of part that tests range: making people laugh is harder than making them cry, Parekh argues.

She credits the ensemble, including Neena Gupta, Deven Bhojani and Sumit Raghavan, for keeping the set free of hierarchy. That rare energy, she says, let every actor take risks.

Uri, motherhood and Bollywood

Uri: The Surgical Strike arrived when her daughter Nirvi was around eight or nine months old. It was her first Bollywood film, and she calls director Aditya Dhar “an incredible maker.” The film’s success went on to shift careers for many of its actors, and Parekh is glad that such a project marked her Bollywood beginning.

What comes next

The next chapter is not only about acting. Parekh and her husband Parthiv are building as producers and entrepreneurs.

• Four to five Hindi and Gujarati projects are planned for next year.
• They are owners in the newly announced Gujarati Cricket Premier League with partner Havel Tucker.
• A 100-crore Alternative Investment Fund will back live music, films and creative IPs.

The music side remains active. Her Gujarati track Jhamkudi, sung with Parthiv, is nearing 24 million YouTube views, and Raja and Rani continues to find listeners.

For fans who have followed her since Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi, the takeaway is clear: Manasi Parekh’s second act is being produced, not just performed.

Source: Filmfare