Women in Cinema Collective: Surpiya Prithviraj's write-up exposes reality in Malayalam cinema

In a first in the history of Indian cinema, the actress and female technicians in Mollywood recently formed an association for women in the entertainment industry. Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), led by editor Beena Paul and superstar Manju Warrier, has since then receiving positive response from their colleagues and many others.

Also read: Why were Bhagyalakshmi and Parvathy T not informed about WCC? 

The top executives of the WCC even met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who extended his complete support for the federation, which aims at the welfare of women by voicing the problems faced by women in the entertainment field. 

But a recent article published on Huffington Post by actor Prithviraj Sukumaran's wife and journalist Supriya Menon, quoting the comments of a few celebs on the formation of the association, has now become the talk of the tinsel town. In the write-up, actresses Rima Kallingal and Parvathy's bold statements have exposed the real situation prevailing in the entertainment industry, where women are not treated equally.

Actress Parvathy, who has given a number of blockbusters of late, opened up on misogyny promoted in Malayalam movies.

"On-screen sexism is sadly the norm. When has a man been ridiculed or made fun of in the name of comedy? Yes, that happens but only when the man has a feminine characteristics that don't make him macho enough. There, too, it's about shaming the feminine nature [sic]," she comments. 

After a South Indian actress' was allegedly attacked by a gang in a moving car recently, young star Prithviraj had vowed not to be part of any movies that objectify women. 

"I have been part of films that celebrated misogyny..I have mouthed lines that vilified regard for your self respect and I have taken a bow to the claps that ensued. NEVER AGAIN..never again will I let disrespect for women be celebrated in my movies! [sic]," Prithviraj shared on his social media page.

The Ennu Ninte Moideen actress also states that she was paid far less than the male actors in her recent release Take Off which was well accepted by the audience for narrating the struggles faced by Indian nurses in Iran.

"In the name of what's in the interest of distributors and market value, it's unfair not to give people their due [sic]."

It has to be noted that earlier Fahadh Faasil had revealed that actor Kunchacko Boban has not accepted any remuneration for playing the role of Shaheed in the Mahesh Narayan's directorial venture.

22 Female Kottayam actress Rima has also made a bold comment on aged actors romancing teenagers in Malayalam movies. "20-year-old getting cast as heroines against 60-year-old men and 50-year-old women being cast as mothers of 60-year-old-men! The ageism is in your face when it comes to women. You would be given 5% of the character detailing, remuneration, visibility, respect and acknowledgement that a male actor would get," Rima says. 

Beena Paul

"There needs to be some space to discuss our issues. We see ourselves as a policy and advocacy group. We will have a legal cell and a counselling centre. It's not just about redressal of sexual harassment issues but also about giving us equal space [sic]."

As of now, there are three associations in Mollywood — Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for actors and Film Employees' Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) for technicians and WCC for women actors and technicians.

Note: All the quotes are taken from Huffington Post.