Popular South Indian actor Anupama Parameswaran has bravely opened up about the severe emotional and physical toll of a past relationship, describing her experience as surviving textbook narcissistic abuse. In a deeply personal interview with host Dhanya Varma, the star revealed that her previous romantic bond was plagued by extreme highs and unpredictable lows that left her feeling completely trapped and constantly walking on eggshells. She explained that the partner cycled between overwhelming affection, sudden breakups, and tearful pleas to patch things up, comparing his mood shifts to complex movie characters who switch from being intensely loving one moment to harsh and indifferent the next. The continuous gaslighting and manipulation gradually deteriorated her mental health, pushing her into severe anxiety attacks, blackouts, and relentless nights spent crying for hours before having to compose herself and head straight to film sets for shoots.
The distress of the situation eventually manifested in devastating physical symptoms, causing Anupama to suffer rapid weight loss, frequent nausea, and intense involuntary eye twitching that forced film crews to temporarily halt shooting schedules. She even developed a severe medical issue with her lacrimal gland that required surgical intervention, leaving behind lasting physical and emotional scars that she believes may never fully heal. Addressing questions about why she did not leave the relationship sooner, Anupama clarified that escaping a manipulative dynamic is akin to being caught in an invisible spiderweb, where toxic behavior is slowly normalized over time. The turning point finally arrived when she began confronting the lies and setting firm boundaries, which eventually caused both families to get involved after a shocking revelation broke the facade completely. She noted that to even get a final conversation for closure, she had to resort to threatening him because he refused to take accountability, adding that seeing the mask drop during their final interaction revealed the true nature of the relationship and allowed her to finally step away toward healing.