K-town producers to get bouncers for artistes

A popular Malayalam actress who has quite a few Tamil blockbuster movies to her credit, was recently attacked by a group of men while she was travelling from Thrissur to Kochi. The incident sent shock waves across movie industries, with a huge outcry from artistes and producers alike. 

Several heroines took to social media to highlight their safety concerns. 

In a bid to ensure the safety of their cast and crew members, Tamil film producers say that they are implementing increased safety measures. 

T Siva of Amma Creations, the Secretary of Tamil Nadu Film Producers’ Council and the Vice-President of the Indian Film Federation said, “Be it the indoor or the outdoor shoots, for us it has always been the safety of our cast. We are providing them with bouncers during the outdoor shoot so that no one disturbs or harasses them. We even provide them with known drivers who update us about their whereabouts. These are some of the reasons why no such assault cases have been reported in Tamil cinema till date.”

PL Thenappan, a senior producer and an office-bearer at the Producer’s Council said, “We have been in the industry for four decades now and we treat artistes like our kith and kin. Once they wrap up their portions for the day, we provide them with our unit car and also with drivers who they are familiar with. .” Siva added, “An official announcement will be made on this regard soon. We would definitely not want to compromise on artistes’ safety.”

Several actresses said that more than safety, they are concerned about how they are treated on the sets as well. Actress Janani said it is more important to bring about a change in mindset. “At the end of the day, we are normal girls who want to get home after a day’s work. We also have families waiting for us. People don’t realise that this is a job like any other, and we don’t appreciate the unwanted attention on the sets, and sometimes off it as well.” 

Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar too came out strongly about dealing with unwanted attention in a post on social media where she said, “I am an actress. It does not mean that just because I lead a glamorous life on screen, that I deserve to be spoken with disrespect. No man should assume he can get away with disrespecting me.” 

Actress Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar on Monday said that actresses shouldn’t be judged based on what they wear on screen. Varalaxmi didn’t directly comment on the recent incident involving the kidnap and alleged assault on a popular Malayalam actress, but shared a haunting incident from her own life on social media. “I was in a meeting with the programming head of a leading TV channel. Towards the end of the half hour meeting, he asked me, ‘So when can we meet outside?’ To which I replied, ‘Regarding some other work?’ He said, ‘No... for other things’. I hid my shock and anger and retorted saying, ‘Sorry, please leave’. His last words were ‘So, that’s all?,” Varalaxmi wrote in a note which she shared on her Twitter page. 

She says the common reaction from people — both within the industry and outside of it —when they hear such things, is that they assume the film industry is like this. “My response is this. I didn’t come to the industry to be treated like a piece of meat or to follow the standards of exploitation of women already practiced. I love acting; it’s my profession of choice. I work hard and I’m good at my work. I don’t want to choose the option of ‘put up with it or quit it’,” she said.

She says men should be taught to not disrespect women. “I am an actress. It does not mean that just because I portray a glamorous character on the screen, that I deserve to be spoken with disrespect. It’s my life, my body and my wish. No man should assume he can get away with disrespecting me,” she wrote. 

She wants women to be treated equally with men. “Instead of lecturing women on what to wear, how to speak, and how to behave appropriately, how about we stop telling our men to stop thinking with their genitals, and start to look at women as strong, free, capable and equal human being. Teach the men to be better people. Every parents needs to start this at home,” she added.