.jpg)
.jpg)
Varalaxmi, Who Works In The Tamil Film Industry, Wrote
That In A Recent Working Meeting She Had Been Propositioned By A 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'," She Said In A Post That
Has Been Liked Thousands Of Times.
She Declined The
Offer, Writing: "I Didn't Come To The Industry To Be Treated Like A Piece
Of Meat."
"Women In The Film Industry Have Accepted The
Fate Of The 'Casting Couch'," Varalaxmi Told BBC Trending, Referring To
The Widely Alleged Practice Whereby Actresses Are Given Parts In Films In
Return For Granting Sexual Favours.
"They Act Like It's Like Normal," She Says.
"So When I Spoke To People About My Experience
They Said, 'But, The Film Industry Is This Way, Why Did You Enter It?'
"But I And The Other Actresses In The Industry
Have Entered It Because We're Passionate About Acting. I Don't Think It Means
If You're Passionate About Acting You Have To Sleep With Someone."
The Actress Didn't Reveal The Identity Of The Alleged
Harasser, But Said The Incident Was Only The "Tip Of The Iceberg".
Varalaxmi's Words Received Support From Many On Social
Media - Including From Fellow Actress Rupa Manjari.
The Post Was Published Two Days After The Alleged Abduction And Rape Of A Fellow Popular Indian Actress In
The Southern Indian State Of Kerala. The Actress, Who Has Not Been Named, Told
Police That She Had Been Attacked Inside Her Car By Three Strangers Who Flagged
Down Her Vehicle As She Was Being Driven To Work.
The News Sparked Outrage On Social Media, As Well As
At A Rally Attended By Some Of The Most Prominent Members Of The Indian Film
Industry, Demanding That More Be Done To Protect Women.
"It's Very
Unfortunate What Happened To Her. No Woman Should Be Violated The Way She
Was," Varalaxmi Says. "But There Is Hypocrisy Within The Film
Industry, Because While We Condemn The Act, People Are Reluctant To Say That
Part Of The Industry Is Also Like This.
"When Something Happens To A Celebrity, Justice
Is Immediate," Varalaxmi Tells Trending.
"The Police Find The Culprits Immediately, The
Verdicts Are Passed Really, Really Fast. But If It Happens To A Laywoman, It
Takes Twice As Long."
Laljy.K., The Assistant Police Commissioner Of Ernakulam,
Near Where The Alleged Rape Took Place, Told BBC Trending That Sarathkumar's Assertion
Was Mistaken, And That Police In The Region Were Committed To The Safety Of All
Women.
He Added That An Anti-Harassment Help Number Had Been Opened And More Police Cars
Assigned Since The Incident, In Order To Assist All Women.
Varalaxmi Is Also
Campaigning, Organising Her Own Rally In Chennai On 8 March, International
Women's Day, In Order To Raise Awareness And Demand For Tougher Punishments For
Those Who Harass Women In India.
"Probably Abroad Women Are Taught To Be A Little
More Liberal, But Down In India, Although We Say We're Liberal, We're Not There
Yet," She Says. "Women Are Taught That If Anything Goes Wrong, We Are
Supposed To Feel Ashamed Of It.
"It's The Mindset That We Have To Change."
Varalaxmi, Whose
Father Sarathkumar Is Also A Prominent Actor, Adds That Her Family's Standing
And Security Meant She Could Say No. But She Tells BBC Trending She's Aware
That Is Not A Privilege Afforded To Other Actresses.
"I Was Fortunate That I Could Say No, But There
Are Other Women Who May Have To Give In To The Request, Because They Come From
Backgrounds Where You Need The Work."
But How Big A Problem Within The Film Industry Is
This?
"It Happens All The Time, But We've Been
Conditioned Not To Talk About It. We Are Taught To Feel Shame If It Happens To
Us.
"I'm Not Playing Victim Here. I'm Just Speaking
Out About My Experience In Order To Stand Up For All The Women Who Can't Stand
Up For Themselves.
0 comments