KOCHI: Discussion about women’s safety in art and cinema has been trending in Kerala for many years now. Many laws and platforms promise to protect women’s interests on paper and in concept, but the reality is still grim.
The New Indian Express talks to actors, filmmakers and whistleblowers about addressing sexual discrimination and abuse in the industry and the ordeal they entail.
The ‘cinema dream’ has always been a whimsical fantasy. The story of aspiring actors and filmmakers who fight against all odds to get to stardom has been retold many times. But if one looks at what goes on behind the veil, it becomes evident that this dream is different for men and women. For men, the journey encompasses financial and emotional struggles, while for women, the two are only among a plethora of problems they have to deal with. The worst is the kinds of sexual abuse and harassment they have to suffer. Keerthi (name changed), an assistant director, recalled the horrors she had to go through when she started off. “I was assisting an accomplished director as part of my internship soon after a film course.
One night, after the shoot in Thiruvananthapuram, two male assistants and I went to the director’s room to pick our bags. He was drinking and he asked me repeatedly to join him, to which I replied with a ‘no’. He didn’t even ask the two men who were with me, but wouldn’t take no for an answer from me. Finally, I said yes, and then he took me to the bathroom and poured me half-a-glass of liquor. Petrified, I downed it and left immediately,” said Keerthi.
“You know, when women name their perpetrators who are in power, most people will quickly ask ‘why did she drink with him?’ or ‘why did she go with him?’. But I know exactly why. Even as you expect and fear the worst would happen, you have to be nice to directors and producers if you want to work in cinema. You have to befriend the decision makers….