'Media played major role in nurturing and promoting male dominance in Malayalam cinema, no one supported survivor'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lashing out at male dominance in the Malayalam film industry, dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi said that the media is responsible for turning film actors into stars. She pointed out that despite a woman fighting a long and difficult battle, the accused in the case escaped from the trial process and would soon be celebrated again as a popular hero.

Bhagyalakshmi said this was not the fault of one individual but a problem of the system. “This is the condition of the film industry, regardless of gender. If this has to change, the public and the media must also take responsibility,” she said while speaking at the IFFK Open Forum in Thiruvananthapuram. She alleged that male dominance did not exist in Malayalam cinema in its early days and that the media played a major role in nurturing and promoting it.

Referring to the actress assault case, Bhagyalakshmi said that when the survivor went through the trauma, no organisation came forward to comfort or support her. “No one held her close or even made a phone call. People only said they are ‘with her’. What does ‘with her’ really mean? No one held her hand and said, ‘We are with you’,” she said.