I met my future hubby when I was just 7, reveals Paris Laxmi

Paris Laxmi, a French-born actress– danseuse, first charmed Keralites with her perfect mudras and graceful demeanor at her Bharatnatyam shows. Later, she won applauds as Kuttan’s Michelle in the blockbuster movie 'Bangalore Days' directed by Anjali Menon. Though born in a Southern French province, Laxmi had been in love with India and its vivid culture from a young age itself.

Her parents were fascinated with the culture and art of India, and had instilled great respect and love for the country in the minds of their children. Laxmi, who got married to renowned Kathakali artist Pallipuram Sunil, is now settled in Kerala. She gets candid about how her intercultural love story that culminated in a beautiful temple wedding.

Laxmi said that she had shared a deep friendship with Sunil for so many years before getting married. In an interview to a TV channel, the actress revealed, “When we first met, I was just a 7 year old and Sunil was 21. He was performing Kathakali at Fort Kochi that day. My parents are artistes and they wanted us to watch that performance. On the first day, I really liked Kathakali. So I returned the next day. We began to attend the Kathakali recitals for the next few days, and became good friends with all the artistes as well. We met each other whenever we visited India, and continued our friendship.”

However, for a few years after she turned 10, they couldn’t meet as the family visited other places and not Kochi. Each year, they visited a different Indian city. Laxmi and Sunil saw each other again when the former was 16 years old.

Laxmi had passionately trained in Bharatnatyam and by the time the couple met again she was already an amazing dancer. Sunil expressed his wish to watch her perform, and Laxmi did an enchanting dance. Amazed by her beautiful performance, Sunil invited her to perform in the temple at his home town, Vaikom. But Laxmi could fulfill his wish, sometime later, only after she turned 19.

“We had been friends for so long, and I can’t explain in words about our special bond. There was something which connected us. It was there when we met for the first time when I was a kid, and still continued when I grew up. But it indeed was a little difficult to make up my mind. I was too young when we tied the knot. I was just 21, but we felt that I possessed the maturity beyond my age,” Laxmi noted.

“I had understood myself and the person whom I was going to spend my life with, very well. We don’t hide anything from each other. That, I think is the most important factor. I am a short-tempered person who gets angry even at the slightest provocation. It is not easy to put up with me. But he understands me well, and that is an amazing thing,” said Laxmi.