Anupama Parameswaran opens up about the physical toll of a difficult relationship

Actress Anupama Parameswaran has offered one of her most candid accounts yet of a difficult chapter in her personal life, saying a two-year relationship she described as involving “narcissistic abuse” left her dealing with severe anxiety, panic attacks, blackouts, changes in her eating habits and physical health problems.

During a conversation with Dhanya Varma, the actress spoke about how a relationship she said had once made her feel deeply loved gradually affected her confidence, emotional well-being and physical health.

One of the most serious problems she recalled involved her right eye. According to Anupama, her lacrimal gland became swollen and moved from its normal position, eventually requiring surgery.

The actress also described crying for hours at night and then going to work the following day.

Her account is particularly striking because she said she had not experienced these problems before the relationship.

“I was a happy child. I was a normal child. I would just chill in my life. None of this had happened before.”

Anupama’s comments were made while reflecting on the broader impact of the relationship rather than simply recounting one isolated medical episode.

Panic attacks left Anupama struggling to control her body

Anupama said anxiety became a recurring part of her daily life during the relationship.

She recalled physical symptoms that she found difficult to control, including shaking in her hands and legs.

“Our legs would suddenly start to shiver, our hands would start shaking, and we couldn’t even control it,”

she said.

The actress also spoke about experiencing blackouts, adding another layer to the health problems she says emerged during that period.

She described the change as particularly difficult because she had previously considered herself a happy and carefree person.

Her comments illustrate how she believes the emotional pressure she was experiencing began to affect her physical functioning as well.

Anxiety also affected her eating habits

According to Anupama, conversations with her former partner could trigger such intense anxiety that she would become physically sick.

She recalled:

“Whatever I ate, some conversation would happen, it would trigger my anxiety, and I would throw up.”

She also said her physical changes became noticeable, including significant weight loss.

At the time, however, she said she was unable to openly explain what was happening in her personal life.

That meant people around her could see changes in her appearance without necessarily understanding the circumstances behind them.

Anupama says her eye problem began during film shoots

Her health struggles eventually began interfering with her professional commitments.

Anupama recalled that her right eye would involuntarily “glitch” or twitch during shooting, sometimes forcing the production to stop.

“My right eye would start glitching. You have to stop shooting because my eyes would start glitching. You can’t even stop it.”

For an actor, an uncontrollable eye movement can create an immediate practical problem on a film set. Continuity, camera framing and performance all depend on the actor being able to maintain control over their facial expressions and movements.

Anupama said the issue became severe enough that shooting had to be interrupted.

But according to her, the eye problem was connected to a much larger period of emotional distress.

‘I was crying every single night’

Anupama described spending long periods crying at night while still having to wake up and report for work.

“I was crying every single night for hours and hours, and I would have to get up and go to the shoot.”

She said her lacrimal gland subsequently became swollen and moved downward.

The lacrimal glands are responsible for producing the aqueous component of tears. Anupama said the swelling became significant enough to require surgical treatment.

“All of a sudden, my lacrimal gland came down till here. It was swollen, and I had to get surgery done.”

She pointed to her appearance during the promotions of Paradha while explaining the extent of the swelling.

“If you see the promotions of ‘Paradha,’ you can see that one side of my eye was very swollen.”

According to the actress, the gland had moved substantially from its normal position and doctors had to repair it.

“The lacrimal gland itself had fallen down completely, and then they had to stitch it back.”

Her description provides context for the visible swelling that she says audiences may have noticed during the film’s promotional period.

Anupama says the wounds were both physical and emotional

The actress stressed that the consequences of the relationship were not limited to the eye condition.

She said she continued to carry physical and emotional scars from what she had experienced.

“There are wounds in my body, not by physical abuse, not directly by someone punching, but wounds and issues in my body that can never be healed. Physical and mental ones, for whatever I went through.”

Her wording is significant because she distinguished between direct physical violence and other forms of harm.

Anupama did not claim in the interview that she had been physically assaulted. Instead, she described the broader physical consequences she believes emerged during a period of prolonged emotional distress.

‘I was ashamed that I was an actor’

Anupama also spoke about the effect the relationship had on her identity and self-confidence.

She said she eventually began feeling ashamed of qualities and aspects of her life that she had previously embraced.

“I was in a situation where I was ashamed that I was an actor. I was ashamed that I was confident. I was ashamed that I have my periods and I’m a woman.”

The actress said disagreements were allegedly dismissed by her former partner as being related to her menstrual cycle.

She described the pattern as something that could be attributed to virtually any point in her cycle.

“First day of the cycle, fifth day of the cycle, tenth day of the cycle, fifteenth day of the cycle, twentieth day, twenty-fifth day, any day of the cycle.”

According to Anupama, whenever she confronted her partner about something she believed he had done wrong, she would allegedly be told that she was experiencing PMS or that her period was approaching.

She said this contributed to feelings of shame about being a woman.

Anupama says the experience changed how she viewed motherhood

Another deeply personal detail from the conversation concerned her changing feelings about having children.

Anupama said she once imagined having a very large family.

“I was someone who dreamt of having 11 children. At this point, I don’t even want kids.”

She connected that change in perspective to the emotional effect of the relationship.

“I felt so bad for being a woman. I felt so bad for all my achievements.”

Her comments suggest that the relationship did not merely affect her romantic life but also altered the way she viewed herself and her future.

Anupama had previously described the relationship as narcissistic abuse

The interview was not the first occasion on which Anupama had spoken about the experience.

In an earlier social media post, she described what she went through as “narcissistic abuse” and portrayed the relationship as a repeated cycle of affection, conflict, apology and reconciliation.

She described three contrasting sides of the same person using references to characters from Indian cinema:

“Many people are not aware of narcissistic abuse. One day he will be Remo. I will be showered with love and care and will possibly feel like the luckiest person alive. However, the next day he will be Anniyan. It will be the most brutal side, and he will not care a hoot about what is happening around him.”

She continued:

“The same person will play Ambi the next day, apologising to me for his mistakes and crying like a baby. He will promise to never repeat the mistakes, but then again the love cycle continues.”

Through that analogy, Anupama described what she characterized as an unpredictable emotional cycle in the relationship.

Importantly, these are her allegations and descriptions of her own experience, rather than independently established findings about another person.

Has Anupama named the actor?

No.

Anupama has not publicly identified the actor she was referring to in the interview.

Her comments have nevertheless triggered renewed speculation online because she has previously been linked in media reports with actor Dhruv Vikram, with whom she appeared in Mari Selvaraj’s Bison Kaalamaadan.

Dating rumours surrounding the two actors circulated during 2025, but speculation is not confirmation.

Neither Anupama nor Dhruv Vikram has publicly confirmed that they were in the relationship described by Anupama or that Dhruv was the person she was referring to.

Therefore, identifying him as the former partner based solely on online speculation would go beyond the information established by her statements.

Why the Dhruv Vikram speculation should be treated carefully

Celebrity relationships often generate intense online speculation, particularly when two actors have worked together and have been photographed at public events.

In Anupama’s case, reports linking her to Dhruv Vikram have circulated previously. Social-media material and alleged photographs were also cited by fans as evidence of a relationship.

But none of those developments establish that he was the person Anupama described in her recent interview.

There is an important difference between dating rumours and a confirmed identification.

For that reason, the most responsible way to report Anupama’s comments is to focus on what she herself has said and avoid presenting speculation about the identity of her former partner as established fact.

An important distinction about health claims

Anupama’s account involves several medical issues, including anxiety symptoms, blackouts and a lacrimal-gland condition.

Her statements should be understood as a personal account of what she experienced.

While prolonged stress can be associated with a range of physical and psychological symptoms, individual medical conditions have specific causes that require professional evaluation. An interview alone cannot establish that emotional distress medically caused a particular condition.

In this case, Anupama herself connected the experience to the period she was going through, while describing the surgery and symptoms from her perspective.

That distinction is important when discussing celebrity health disclosures.

The actress’s story is about more than an eye surgery

The eye surgery may be the most startling detail in Anupama’s account, but her wider story is about the loss of confidence she says accompanied the relationship.

She described moving from someone who felt comfortable with her career and identity to someone who felt ashamed of being an actor, being confident and even having periods.

She also said the experience affected her thoughts about motherhood and left her with what she considers lasting emotional wounds.

Those revelations place the medical episode within a much larger personal story.

The actress is not simply recalling an operation. She is describing a period in which she says her relationship, emotional state, physical health and professional life became deeply interconnected.

Anupama’s candid disclosure resonates beyond the film industry

Public discussions about unhealthy relationships often focus on visible forms of abuse. Anupama’s account draws attention to another dimension: the erosion of confidence and the cumulative effects of prolonged emotional distress.

Her description of anxiety, fear, physical symptoms and self-doubt illustrates why difficult relationships can be complicated to recognize from the outside.

At the same time, her story remains personal. It should not be used to make assumptions about other relationships or diagnose people based on public appearances.

For Anupama, speaking about the experience appears to be part of reclaiming a narrative that she once felt unable to discuss openly.

What Anupama Parameswaran revealed

• She described a past two-year relationship as involving “narcissistic abuse.”
• She said she experienced panic and anxiety attacks during that period.
• She recalled episodes of shaking and blackouts.
• She said anxiety affected her ability to eat and sometimes caused her to vomit.
• She reported significant physical changes, including weight loss.
• Her right eye began involuntarily twitching or “glitching” during shoots.
• She said her lacrimal gland became swollen and moved downward.
• She underwent surgery to address the eye condition.
• She said the problem was visible during Paradha promotions.
• She described crying for hours at night while continuing to work.
• She said the relationship affected her confidence and made her feel ashamed of aspects of her identity.
• She said she once wanted a large family but no longer feels the same way.
• She has not identified the actor she was referring to.
• Online speculation has linked her comments to Dhruv Vikram, but that connection has not been confirmed by either actor.

Anupama Parameswaran’s account offers a deeper look at what happened behind the scenes

Anupama Parameswaran’s latest interview presents a deeply personal account of a period she says changed her physically and emotionally.

Her recollections of panic attacks, blackouts, eating difficulties and an eye condition requiring surgery reveal how serious she believes the impact was. Her comments about losing confidence in her career, womanhood and achievements add another layer to the story.

Most importantly, Anupama has chosen to speak about her experience without publicly naming the person involved.

That makes it important to separate her verified public statements from speculation circulating online.

For now, what is clear is that Anupama says the relationship left lasting physical and emotional scars, and that she eventually sought medical treatment for an eye condition that she described in detail.

Her decision to discuss the experience so openly also marks a significant moment in her public journey—one in which the actress is no longer simply discussing her films, but addressing the personal experiences that shaped her life away from the camera.