'Gatta Kushti' actress Aishwarya Lekshmi's parents wanted her to marry a doctor, had 1 kg gold ready for her wedding, reveals director Allepey Ashraf

Aishwarya Lekshmi has built a successful career in South Indian cinema after making a very different choice from the path her parents had imagined for her. Despite completing her MBBS degree, the actress chose films instead of medicine and went on to become one of the recognised names in Malayalam cinema. Now, filmmaker and actor Allepey Ashraf has spoken about the difference between Aishwarya's career choice and her parents' long-held dreams for her.In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Allepey Ashraf said Aishwarya was the only daughter of government employees from Thiruvananthapuram. He claimed that her parents wanted her to become a doctor because she had always been academically strong. According to him, they also hoped to see her marry a doctor and lead a family life with children. However, Aishwarya began exploring modelling while completing her house-surgeon duties after finishing her MBBS, which eventually opened the door to films. Ashraf said that her decision to enter cinema was difficult for her parents to accept because it was completely different from the future they had planned for their daughter.Aishwarya made her acting debut with Njandukalude Naatil Oridavela, but it was Mayaanadhi that brought her major recognition. The film also featured Tovino Thomas and was praised for handling its romantic and intimate themes naturally. Ashraf pointed out that Aishwarya had earlier spoken about her parents' reaction to some of the intimate scenes in the film. He also referred to her comments about how worried her parents were during the discussions around the Hema Committee report. According to Ashraf, a relative close to Aishwarya Lekshmi told him that her parents had even kept aside jewellery, including around one kilogram of gold, with thoughts of their daughter's marriage in mind.Ashraf further claimed that Aishwarya's parents have never depended on their daughter's earnings, despite her financial success through cinema. He said that even when Aishwarya bought a saree for her mother out of affection, her mother did not accept it. Speaking about the generation gap, he said, "Aishwarya is a symbol of the changes in the new generation. Her parents may not be able to accept that change, and that could be the reason they still oppose her choices." He also suggested that changing the views of her elderly parents may not be easy at this stage.On the work front, Aishwarya Lekshmi was recently seen in Maaman and Thug Life, adding more diverse roles to her filmography. She recently appeared as Keerthi in 'Gatta Kusthi 2,' which released in July. She is also part of the upcoming Telugu film 'SYG – Sambarala Yeti Gattu' and Malayalam project 'Aasha,' both of which are currently in production.