'Will request photos to check stretchmarks'; actress Sonia Malhar reveals shady secrets of film industry

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Actress Sonia Malhar revealed that she was denied opportunities in Malayalam movies for rejecting the indecent advances of filmmakers. The actress said she would have made it big in the industry if agreed to sleep with producers and others involved.

Sonia Malhar:

“I acted in a movie for 30 days after the makers promised Rs 30 lakh remuneration. Alas, the film got shelved and I was not paid even one rupee. It was at the time of my husband’s death and I was struggling. I even failed to pay the rent of my house. The movie was directed by someone who worked at Raj Bhavan. The producer was my friend and I committed to the movie in blind trust, not even caring for any official agreement.

Later I went to act in a movie titled ‘Vasavadatha’. I spent Rs 7000 from my pocket for travel expenses. The first poster came out with my photo and I was happy. One day, the director directly contacted me to inform the changes made in the movie. Yes, he curtly informed me that I won't be part of the project. Actress Iniya was chosen as the female lead but it was later learned that she too walked out of the project. I don’t know why I was taken out of the project, maybe because of my stern decision to not sell my body for a successful career.

The life of an actress is akin to what shown in the movie ‘GoatLife’. Gruesome things are happening out there. If the actress has undergone caesarean, the directors and others would request a photo of the stomach in the pretext of checking stretch marks.” Sonia revealed the other day that a young superstar in Malayalam grabbed her at a shooting location in Thodupuzha in 2013.