AMMA
president and Member of Parliament, actor Innocent’s comment on casting couch in Mollywood, in reply to a question, that ‘if the women are bad, they may share the bed’, has once again brought out the insensitive attitude towards women in the entertainment industry. Ironically, the whole press meet was summoned to apologise for the wrong behaviour of the artists during the previous press conference. The newly formed women’s collective was quick to condemn the new anti-women missile.
Also Read: Dileep and Nadirshah arrested in Malayalam actress' assault caseWas he indirectly reinforcing the age-old belief that the successful actresses are likely to have slept around for opportunities and are therefore ‘bad’? Doesn’t the same apply to successful men? What about those who willingly shared the bed with the ‘bad’ and greedy women? Kochi Times probes!
Time to educate future generations- Paul Zacharia, WriterWhat Innocent said is a reflection of the blinded society that has been created by the religious institutions of Kerala. To create a set of norms, they tagged sexuality as a sin and encouraged voyeurism. And their macho outlook persuaded the society to hold women responsible for all the sexual dilemma that prevails. The idea of morality and immorality was also brought in with regard to relationships. The secular democracy should act as a corrective force but there has been a failure. We need enlightened leaders who can question such regressive attitudes. A change can happen only by educating the future generations by including sex education in their curriculum and enlightening them about the fundamental equation between the genders.
Masculinity for men, sin for women- Vinayan, DirectorWe cannot expect anything more from the president of AMMA but Innocent should have reacted in a better way as a people’s representative. It is high time for these so called celebrities to change their mindset. When an actor boasts about his conquests, it is taken as a sign of his masculinity but the women who shared his bed are ‘fallen’ women.
Except when she’s raped, a woman is termed temptress- Sreedevi S Kartha, WriterCompromise has become an acceptable word in the entertainment industry across the globe. People, even those who are in the film industry, forget that it is a job not a favour. However, this has been ingrained in every mind since ages as part of the patriarchal system. That is why a person like Innocent is talking about it shamelessly in public platforms. Every talented and successful actress is treated as someone who got there by sleeping around with many whereas no one would ever say that actors such as Mammootty and Mohanlal became superstars by sleeping around with many. It is time to reconstruct this thought and stop issuing character certificate to women. The funniest point is that a woman is considered a victim only when there is rape; in every other context, she is seen as the corrupting influence. It is a highly dangerous attitude. I think organisations like Women’s Collective should work to break this attitude rather than concentrating on a specific incident. They should assert that it is a profession and only talent should matter. Let these incidents be a turning point for them. If anyone was exploited for offers, they should now come forward and openly talk about the criminal mentality behind it. A cleansing is necessary here, women have to unite and stay strong to fight for it!
The system considers it a pre-requisite- J Devika, Social critic and feministI find it (the statement) totally atrocious. Casting couch has always been projected as a women-created convention and men are being trapped or tempted by them for their professional advancement. When the system itself is considering it as a requirement, how can you hold women responsible for it? And once they yield, they are labelled ‘bad women’ and insensitively, a senior person like Innocent says bad women would sleep around for opportunities.
I had a personal experience where the popular actor-husband of a friend of mine fell in love with a now-popular-but-then-beginner actress, and were in a physical and emotional relationship. Everybody went on saying that the woman should be advised and asked to get out of the relationship. But the man was treated like an innocent soul who deviated for no fault of his. Why should it be so? Recently, Ram Gopal Varma boasted that he sleeps with three women a day, whereas actresses such as Urvashi and Sangeetha Mohan were crucified for just consuming alcohol.
A woman should be given a role for her acting skills and not for her sleeping skills. Anyway, agreeing to have physical relationship with someone just to gain any kind of benefit — be it for roles or for marks — is wrong. Even if a duo is attracted to each other, it should not influence their professional relationship.