Parvathy recently discussed the challenges she and her fellow Women in Cinema Collective members face on a daily basis.
National-Award winning actor Parvathy recently discussed the challenges she and her fellow Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) members face on a daily basis. Parvathy is one of the female Malayalam actors, who is leading an all-out battle against the prevailing misogyny in the film industry.
“The members of collective are being slut-shamed every day on news debates. We have directors and producers coming and saying that ‘Oh we know, she is a loose woman’,” Parvathy said during a roundtable discussion hosted by Film Companion.
Parvathy initially felt that Malayalam cinema was leading other industries by example by openly talking about misogyny and workplace harassment. However, since last year, things are not looking up for the members of the collective on the career front.
“I am jealous (of Bollywood) because women are being promised work. They are taken care of. Like here, we have producers saying, ‘you come out and speak and you will not lose your job.’ We don’t have that (in Malayalam cinema),” Parvathy said. “The women in the collective are not getting any offers.”
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The Women in Cinema Collective was formed last year following the attack on a woman actor, who was kidnapped and sexual assaulted in a moving car. The collective’s aim is to provide a sustained structural backing to women in the Malayalam film industry. Since it came into being, the members have called out several big names of Malayalam cinema.
“We are all scared for our lives. We are scared for our parents’ lives,” Parvathy said while explaining how they are subjected to never-ending online attacks, including death and rape threats from fans of the Malayalam superstars.
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Recently, the WCC announced an open revolt against the all-powerful Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). The members held a tell-all press conference and accused the AMMA office bearers of siding with Dileep, who has been accused of masterminding the attack on the female actor last year. “We have lost faith in the leadership of the AMMA,” said the WCC members at the press conference, putting the leadership under actor Mohanlal in a tight spot.
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