Actor Palak Tiwari is a relative newcomer to the industry. The 25-year-old has a handful of acting credits to her name, including two films – Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and The Bhootnii. Last week, she made her streaming debut with a lead role in Amazon Prime Video’s Lukkhe, and even as the audience is praising her, Palak admits the one piece of feedback most important to her is from her mom, Shweta Tiwari. The actor has been a veteran of television for two decades. But for Palak, she is mom first. In a candid chat with Hindustan Times, Palak talks about Shweta’s opinion of her work, and how she herself deals with failure and success.
Palak Tiwari on Shweta Tiwari’s protective nature
Palak admits that she has a very small body of work for people to judge her for now. And mom Shweta almost always praises her. “She is my mom. So she can’t go, ‘you suck!’ She is a mother at the end of the day. Recently, she has been happy,” she says with a laugh.
The actor admits that there are times when Shweta does get critical, but about things other than work. However, she cannot tolerate if someone else badmouths Palak, particularly on social media. “She has been incredibly supportive throughout. Before an actor, she is a mom. She can say whatever about me, but koi aur bol de toh (if anyone says anything), she’ll fight. I have to physically stop her from saying, ‘Mom, you can’t reply to every comment. Stop it!’”
Palak Tiwari on dealing with ups and downs
The only two films that Palak has starred in – Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and The Bhootnii – failed at the box office. The former, her screen debut, was a particularly big disappointment as it was led by Salman Khan. However, Palak says that she is not affected too much by the highs and lows of life. “I live in a constant state of equilibrium,” she says, “There is no high and no low. Nothing makes me feel giddy. I feel satiated. I just keep myself moderated at all times.”
But Palak clarifies that it doesn’t mean she does not care about things. “I am not a reactive person at all. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel things. I feel things greatly, but I don’t let myself waver that much,” she adds.
Lukkhe, her OTT debut and most recent work, began streaming on Prime Video last week. The show, which chronicles the rivalry and battle of two rappers in Punjab, stars Palak as a musician recovering from drug addiction. The show also stars rapper King, Raashi Khanna, Shivankit Singh Parihar, and Lakshvir Singh Saran.