Happy Women’s Day 2023: Here’s how women in Malayalam cinema are advocating for what’s rightfully theirs

March 8 is observed as International Women’s Day. Despite having set foot in 2023, women are still fighting for basic things, that are rightfully theirs, including access to a clean restroom at the workplace. When it comes to Malayalam cinema, the battles are different. From women being vocal about why misogyny should not be glorified in films, to working towards creating a safe workplace, they are taking the roads less travelled. On International Women’s Day, let’s take a look at how women in Malayalam cinema is advocating for what’s rightfully theirs.

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Until the 2010s, female actors often chose to stay away from the limelight, after marriage. Getting married and devoting their entire time to being a homemaker was quite normal back then. It was almost a ‘trend’ in those days, like yesteryear actress Jomol earlier mentioned in an interview. And when a female actors chose to return back to showbiz, they often get sidelined and end up playing supporting roles, despite having humungous potential. Superstar Manju Warrier broke this jinx by making her second innings as a lead actor and also sustaining her star value. She is one of the few women in Malayalam cinema, who calls the shots!

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In 2017, actor Parvathy Thiruvothu called out Mammootty’s film ‘Kasaba’ for glorifying misogyny. She pointed out a scene wherein Mammootty’s character, a cop, threatens a colleague by telling her that he will ‘make her miss her menstrual cycle’. Parvathy Thiruvothu expressed that it was disappointing to watch an actor's par excellence mouth dialogues, that are not only derogatory but saddening. She stated that while cinema reflects society, glorifying misogyny is not okay. Parvathy’s comment did upset many, however, she surely made a valid point, which of course made filmmakers and screenwriters think twice before constructing such scenes.

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Safety at the workplace is apparently still a luxury for many, especially for the ones in the entertainment industry. The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) filed a public interest litigation for the establishment of a grievance/redressal mechanism in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), as regards the prevention of sexual harassment of women at workplaces. And in a landmark judgment in 2022, the Kerala High Court asked film production houses to form an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) as per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013.

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The 2017 actress assault case has left the entire entertainment industry in India and other parts of the world shocked. On February 17, 2017 night, a leading actress was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men. Actor-producer Dileep is the eighth accused in the case, for masterminding the crime, and he even spend 85 days in jail, and the case is ongoing. Recently the survivor went public and spoke of the ordeal she went through. However, only a few chose to support the survivor. WCC has been at the forefront of the fight for justice, and stood with the survivor, along with a few other film personnel.

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