Director Revathy Varma reveals Lal treated her poorly; opens up about discrimination faced in Malayalam cinema

Renowned advertising film director Revathy Varma, who made her directorial debut in Malayalam cinema with ‘Maad Dad’ (2013), recently opened up about the severe discrimination she faced as a female filmmaker.

In an interview with Manorama News, Revathy discussed her experiences and the shortcomings of the film industry's grievance redressal system in light of the Hema Committee report.


Revathy recounted the struggles she encountered during the making of ‘Maad Dad’, revealing the biased treatment she faced from various industry figures. She specifically mentioned actor Lal, stating that his behavior towards her during the filmmaking process was unprofessional. The director expressed disillusionment with the industry’s internal mechanisms for handling complaints, calling them ineffective and insufficient to protect female professionals in cinema.

Addressing the Hema Committee report, Revathy criticized the lack of transparency in how the complaints were handled. She condemned the failure to disclose the names of those accused of misconduct, stating that it was a betrayal of the survivors who came forward with their testimonies based on promises made by the Chief Minister.

Revathy emphasized the need for a more strong system, one that is not controlled by internal industry figures, but by external authorities such as the judiciary and police. She argued that the film industry's current grievance redressal systems resemble a "family" trying to solve problems amongst themselves, which she believes cannot deliver justice.

Revathy’s directorial debut ‘Maad Dad’ hit the big screens in January 2013. The film starring Lal and Nazriya Nazim in the lead, told a heartwarming story of a father and a daughter.
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