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Actor Radikaa Sarathkumar said that the ordeals of women actors aren’t restricted only to Malayalam cinema, which has been in the spotlight in recent days after revelations in the Hema Committee Report, but also in the Tamil and Telugu industries. She said that there have been instances of men secretly recording actresses’ nude videos with spy cameras hidden in their vanity vans.
She said that she “personally saw men sitting together on the sets and enjoying these scenes on their mobile phones.” Radhikaa told Asianet News’ Namaste Kerala that she was too scared to use her vanity van on set, and hence would go to her hotel room to change. She said, “While I was on a set in Kerala, I saw people gathered together and laughing at something. As I passed by, I noticed they were watching a video. I called a crew member and asked him what they were watching. I was told there were cameras in the vanity vans and footage of women changing clothes was captured using the same. I was told you just type the name of the artiste, and you will find a video of them changing dress. I saw the video.”
“This system is wrong. After the incident, I told other female artists about the hidden cameras. I was afraid to go into my vanity van after the incident. It is a private space for us to change, to take rest, or to have food,” she added.
She said that she even confronted the team about this. “I have seen videos of women changing clothes in vans. I confronted the team and told them this is not right. I told the van team that I will hit them with chappals (slippers) if I find a camera in the vehicle. I was angry. I insisted that I want to be safe and don’t want the van at all. They then told me that they will look into it,” she said.
When the reporter mentioned that actors like Urvashi have said that vans are safe on set, Radikaa said, “I watched Urvashi’s interview. She said there is nothing like it (sexual misconduct) in Kerala. She is from Kerala and the Malayalam film industry. She earns her livelihood from there. She is a fantastic actress and a good friend. But in this matter, we have different points of view. It happens not only in Kerala but also in other states.”
Radikaa opened up about her ordeal while discussing Justice Hema Committee Report on rampant sexual misconduct in the Malayalam film industry. Reacting to the delay in the report, she said, “I was wondering why there was so much delay in the release of the Justice Hema Committee report. I have been in the industry for 46 years. Of course, there have been people who have tried to misbehave with me. Women should be empowered to say ‘No’ when such incidents happen with them. No man has said anything in any industry. So the onus is back on women. Now, they have to shoulder this responsibility of safeguarding themselves.”
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