Priya Prakash Varrier became a household name overnight in 2018, thanks to a single wink in the song Manikya Malaraya Poovi from the Malayalam film Oru Adaar Love. The video went viral across India, earning her the title of “national crush” and skyrocketing her to fame. So impactful was her popularity that the film’s makers reworked the narrative to place her character in the lead, sidelining the original heroine. But the rapid fame came at a cost.
In a recent interview with Cue Studio, Priya opened up about the aftermath of her sudden rise to stardom and how it led to misconceptions and resentment in the industry. “Somewhere along the way, a preconceived notion was created about me—that I was unapproachable or had attitude, or that I charged high fees. It might have come from the hostility that followed the ‘wink sensation’. People felt I got overnight what others struggle for years to earn,” she explained.
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This perception, she said, eventually gave rise to a more damaging emotion—hatred. “No matter what I did, that negativity persisted. It started affecting how the industry saw me and impacted the opportunities I received,” she added.
While Priya did land roles in various regional and Hindi films, she said the early backlash shaped how both audiences and filmmakers viewed her. Despite that, she continues to stay active in cinema and recently featured in Good Bad Ugly opposite Ajith Kumar. She will next be seen in Abbas–Mustan’s upcoming thriller 3 Monkeys, sharing screen space with Arjun Rampal.