‘Casual sexism must end’ Tollywood women demand an end to the ‘Harmless Joke’ era

The setting changes, the faces change, but the script feels painfully familiar. Once again, the burden of calling out industry-wide misogyny has fallen on the shoulders of women. Following actor Sivaji’s recent moral policing of female colleagues, the Voice of Women, TFI has stepped in to fill a vacuum of accountability. The collective isn’t just asking for better manners; they are demanding restraint in public statements and accountability at every level, arguing that “casual” sexism is the bedrock of a culture that protects harassers and silences victims. It is a refusal to accept the tired narrative that these are merely “isolated slips” or “harmless jokes” made in the heat of the moment. In an industry that prides itself on “larger than life” heroes, the women of Tollywood are asking for something much simpler: the basic dignity of a safe and professional workplace. ‘Accountability can’t be optional’Calling for sustained institutional reform rather than fleeting outrage, actor-director Jeevitha Rajashekar highlighted the lack of accountability mechanisms within the industry. “Often, such incidents against female actors spark a quick social media reaction before fading. There should be a proper system in place to ensure these incidents don’t happen again. It is always women like Chinmayi or Anasuya who condemn such behaviour, but those in power must also speak up. Only through collective support and accountability can these issues be addressed seriously and the industry made safer for women.” ‘Actors apologise to save their films, not because they feel genuine regret’Social activist Sunitha Krishnan points to a recurring pattern of apologies following backlash for the statements made. “These kinds of incidents keep repeating over the years, and every time the concerned actor or director issues an apology over their comments on women because of the fear that it will affect their film, not from a place of genuine remorse. There has been no real shift in the mindset of those who make such comments — not back then in 2016, and not now, which is truly disturbing.” ‘When no one speaks up, the system stays intact’In light of the recent incidents happening in the industry, actor Anasuya Bharadwaj retweeted a message urging men to speak out and confront misogynistic comments. The post read, “Out of ten men, one makes a sexual joke directed at a woman. Two laugh openly. Three don’t find it funny but still chuckle to fit in. Four say nothing and pretend they didn’t hear it at all. Not a single one speaks up, not a single one stops it. The laughter, the silence, the looking away-all of it creates the same environment.” Further, it said this is the reason why women say most men are the same. “Not every man harasses women, but most men participate in protecting the system that does.”Incidents where male actors took it a little too far: Wear modest clothes: SivajiIn December, the actor faced backlash for moral-policing women’s clothing at a film event, where he linked revealing outfits to harassment and used derogatory language. While he later issued an apology, the Telangana Women’s Commission summoned him for an inquiry. The director called me “Chilaka”: Divya BharathiIn November, actress Divyabharathi accused the director on social media of repeated misogynistic behaviour during and after the filming of GOAT, including calling her chilaka. The allegations prompted the All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) to demand action and call for the formation of a women’s redressal committee. SKN’s double entendreAt Dragon’s pre-release event in February, producer Sreenivasa Kumar sparked controversy by saying, “In Telugu, we prefer girls who don’t speak the language over those who do. From now on, my director and I will back only non-Telugu-speaking actresses.” He added to the backlash with a double entendre, referring to her as “kayalu, pandlu” (fruits and vegetables), which drew widespread criticism from social media users and industry insiders alike You need to be bigger in size: Trinadha Rao Nakkina At the teaser launch event for Mazaka on 14 January 2025, Tollywood director Trinadha Rao Nakkina commented on actress Anshu’s appearance and asked the audience whether she still looked the same as she did during her Manmadhudu days. He said “She’s thinner now, I asked her to eat and put on weight because it’s not enough for Telugu (cinema), size needs to be bigger. She has improved now.” He later apologised following backlash. I either kiss the girl or make her pregnant: NBKWhether it was the 2016 remark— “Ammayila venta padithe oorukuntara maa fans. Velli muddaina pettali, kadupuanna cheyali” (Will our fans approve if we just follow girls? We either have to kiss them or get them pregnant) — or the recent incident where he was seen pushing actress Anjali on stage, the veteran actor’s public conduct has often prompted widespread public outrage, yet rarely results in institutional correction. Ali’s jab at AnushkaA repeat offender, Ali has a history of using public stages to objectify his female colleagues under the guise of humour. At the Size Zero audio launch, he reduced Anushka Shetty to a “hot jalebi that everybody likes to eat” and made unsolicited remarks about her “remarkable thighs.” In a separate event for Son of Sathyamurthy, he compared Samantha’s midriff to a city landmark. Though followed by a string of apologies, these remarks remain a textbook case of how the industry repackages blatant objectification as ‘entertainment’