‘First Gujarati film showing a single mother &..’: Manasi Parekh on exceptional response to her film ‘Misri’

National Award winner Manasi Parekh has been entertaining audiences for over a decade, and 2025 was no different. This year, she played three distinct characters in Gujarati films, Shubhchintak, Maharani, and Misri, all of which performed exceptionally well at the box office. Her stellar performances have firmly cemented her position in Gujarati cinema.

With such a diverse slate of back-to-back projects, we asked Manasi what kept her motivated and centred while switching between genres, characters, and emotional energies.

She shared, “Each character, from Meghna in Shubhchintak to Manasi in Maharani, to Pooja in Misri, has been very different. What drives them is different. Meghna was driven by revenge, Manasi by the stress of being a working mother, and Pooja by the lack of a love life and being a single mother. So, it’s been a range of very diverse stories. What has kept me grounded through all of this is my experience as an actor over the years, my constant re-evaluation of myself, staying in touch with myself through yoga, reading, watching different kinds of films, and constantly reading the script and talking to the directors. I’m always at it. And of course, my love and passion for what I do keep me going.”

Her recent film Misri earned widespread praise for her emotionally rooted portrayal. When asked what the role taught her as an actor, she said, “I think Pooja’s character in Misri, a single mother with trauma from her last marriage, who has a man falling for her but isn’t ready to accept it, is very nuanced and has many shades. People really appreciated the mature love story and say it’s the first Gujarati film they’ve seen that portrays a single mother and a younger man falling for her.”

People really appreciated the mature love story and say it’s the first Gujarati film they’ve seen that portrays a single mother and a younger man falling for her.

- Manasi Parekh

With a year as packed and powerful as this one, Manasi Parekh has reminded everyone why she’s one of the most dependable and versatile faces in Gujarati films today. And if her instinct for strong stories continues, audiences are in for a lot more in the coming years.