Theatre group head accused of harassment

The incident, which has exposed the sheer absence of a regulatory mechanism for reporting harassment in the theatre business, has driven theatre professionals to set up a cell, comprising lawyers, social activists and other experts, to create a safe and conducive space for artistes to engage in their craft.

Late on Wednesday evening, Theatre artiste Krithika Anand shared a series of “pain cards” in a Facebook post detailing the cases of sexual harassment by a single perpetrator, with hashtags such as #dontspoilchennaitheatre and #cantbreakusvdj. One card read, “You groped her in public, said you were rich and powerful and that she should feel lucky instead of screaming for help,” while another narrated, “You say it’s to discuss about a play, that it’s urgent, that it’s a great role and lure her into your car, the empty beach, an empty theatre and sexually assault her.” 

Following this, theatre professionals V Balakrishnan, Mathivanan Rajendran, Sunil Vishnu and arts manager Meera Krishnan have mooted a forum on May 1.

Slamming the harassment that she faced as a theatre artiste, Krithika wrote on Facebook: “Today was the first day in so many years of being in theatre that I am reminded that I am a woman… This is the place that has always been genderless to me. I have worked with fine men with whom I will trust my life. We have always stood as one. But today, it deeply saddens me to acknowledge that there is distinction.” 

She added, “There are true stories coming out. Many more people are willing to talk. We truly have opened a Pandora’s box. It’s not just one individual alone. We are all responsible in keeping our workplace clean. We will stand by each other in weeding them out and creating a small forum for listening.” Following this, theatre professionals V Balakrishnan, Mathivanan Rajendran, Sunil Vishnu and arts manager Meera Krishnan have mooted a forum on May 1. In it, members of the fraternity, in this case women, can speak about the incidents without shame or guilt. 

Meera said, “It is important to create that safe space, where theatre professionals can speak without fear. This forum is a space to build capacity within the community, to deal not only with issues of harassment but also other areas such as depression, for instance.”

Mathivanan from Stray Factory said that many women feared the repercussions from such disclosures. “We want the women harassed to know that the theatre community supports them, and the perpetrator cannot get away with it.”