KOZHIKODE: Deedi Damodaran, a member of the Women in Cinema Collective, has lashed out at the male dominance in the Malayalam film industry and alleged that a ‘casting couch’ culture existed in the film world. The WCC, which was fomed in the wake of the assault on the leading actress, will present evidence to show that female artists are forced to ‘compromise’ for finding a space in the field, she said on Tuesday. However, AMMA president Innocent had dismissed the allegation at a recent press conference. “The male dominance that fails to treat women as equal is the reason why some of the yesteryear female actors died in mysterious circumstances. In the long history of the industry, only a few women could play crucial roles in decision-making, including production, direction, script writing or cinematography,” she said on her Facebook.
The discrimination starts with the remuneration. She pointed out the recent example of actor Parvathy, who donned the lead role in the movie ‘Take Off’ and was paid “one-fourth of the remuneration of the actor who attended the shooting for four days.” She said those who raise their voice against male dominance were being silenced. “The women are made to suffer even if they protest mildly,” she charged. The arrest of actor Dileep in the actor assault case may prove the conspiracy behind the case, but the basic issues that affect the film world need creative intervention to find solutions, according to the WCC.
Though the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) had held a meeting soon after the assault on the actor, none other than Manju Warrier came out in the open demanding to probe the criminal conspiracy. The silence of top actors like Mammootty and Mohanlal and AMMA president Innocent was flayed by many. K. B. Ganesh Kumar and Mukesh, MLAs, also did not act to ensure justice to the victim. It was at this juncture that the Women in Cinema Collective took shape and moved ahead with their initiatives, including legal help and support to the victim.
