Films that unfold like stage plays, including extensive dialogue and taking place mostly in a single location are not exactly easy to handle, since, usually, they lack the movement and speed that is associated with cinema. Nevertheless, Sidhartha Shiva, the former winner of a National and a Kerala State film award for “Ain” tries his hand on the particular approach, while passing from a number of genres.
The Spark is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
Sundharma runs a home pastry shop and her job has just started to pick up, with the orders coming one after the other, and her even having an app for her services, even if some issues here and there do appear. Since she does everything by herself though, she needs an assistant and asks her best friend and biggest supporter to suggest someone, which is what eventually brings young Alma to her house.
The Spark is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
Sundharma runs a home pastry shop and her job has just started to pick up, with the orders coming one after the other, and her even having an app for her services, even if some issues here and there do appear. Since she does everything by herself though, she needs an assistant and asks her best friend and biggest supporter to suggest someone, which is what eventually brings young Alma to her house.
- 2/8/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Thiruvananthapuram, April 5 (Ians) Malayalam movie ‘B 32 to 44’ is a satire on “the perfect body myth”, that narrates the stories of five women and a transman from different social strata and the overwhelming pressure they face in their daily lives because of their unmodified bodies and their responses to the male-gaze.
The official trailer of the much-awaited film helmed by Shruthi Sharanyam was released on YouTube. Prominent figures from media, cinema, politics, literature shared the poster with compliments.
Set amidst a middle-class apartment, a few offices, a school and an upper-class home, belonging to six people (hailing from managerial class to working class), ‘B 32 to 44’ is also a philosophical inquiry into how we inhabit “Breast”, a body part women have and how “breast”, in turn, inhabits and uses us. Their stories are interwoven as each character is connected to one another in some common social settings. The film has a positive...
The official trailer of the much-awaited film helmed by Shruthi Sharanyam was released on YouTube. Prominent figures from media, cinema, politics, literature shared the poster with compliments.
Set amidst a middle-class apartment, a few offices, a school and an upper-class home, belonging to six people (hailing from managerial class to working class), ‘B 32 to 44’ is also a philosophical inquiry into how we inhabit “Breast”, a body part women have and how “breast”, in turn, inhabits and uses us. Their stories are interwoven as each character is connected to one another in some common social settings. The film has a positive...
- 4/5/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
BIFFThe film is written by Don Palathara and Sherin Catherine and has been produced by Newton Cinema.Malayalam director Don Palathara’s movie Family is set to be screened at the 14th Bengaluru International Film Festival in the Indian Panorama section. The movie, produced by Newton Cinema, will make its premiere in India during the festival. The film had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. According to The Week, the movie received praise for its performances, cinematography, and “thought-provoking themes that explore the complexities and contradictions of familial relationships in contemporary India.” The film revolves around Sony (played by Vinay Forrt), a devout Christian who has an impeccable image in his local community. However, beneath this do-gooder image lurks something darker which is explored in the film. In a press release, director Don Palathara said, “I am thrilled that Family will have its first screening at the Bengaluru International Film Festival.
- 3/15/2023
- by AjayR
- The News Minute
ProtestThe institute’s director Shankar Mohan, against whom the students were protesting, resigned on Saturday.Tnm StaffProminent film actor Fahadh Faasil has expressed his support for the students of the Kr Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts who have been protesting against alleged caste discrimination at the institute. “I am with the students. Everyone has started to actively discuss (the problem) and a solution has started taking form. The director has resigned. Let it all settle and let the students be able to continue their studies,” Fahadh said while answering questions at a press meet that was held for the promotion of the film Thangam that he has produced. Two days ago, the director of the institute Shankar Mohan resigned, saying that he had completed three years in the post. Students have been protesting for nearly seven weeks over alleged instances of caste discrimination by Shankar Mohan. However,...
- 1/23/2023
- by Cris
- The News Minute
ControversyAlthough Mini's 'Divorce' is the first film to get the censor certificate, the Ksfdc says it chose to first release 'Nishiddho', also funded by the project, because of its State award.CrisIG MiniDivorce, one of the first Malayalam movies chosen by the Kerala government in its project to fund the works of women directors, has been awaiting release for two years now. Its director Ig Mini tells Tnm that she has been promised a release date multiple times in the last year, but it was postponed each time. She says that she was often not even informed of these changes. The project began in 2019 under the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (Ksfdc), which invited applications from women and chose two scripts for production. Mini’s was one of the two films chosen in the first year. The other film Nishiddho, directed by Tara Ramanujan, recently won the Kerala State Award for second best feature,...
- 11/9/2022
- by Cris
- The News Minute
FilmsMitta struggled to get work or assistants to help her for years, though there have been a few supportive directors.CrisAround 11 years after applying for it, Mitta Antony has received membership in the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (Fefka) Make-Up Union. She is the first woman to get it. Back in 2011, when she applied for it, fresh after graduating a course at the Pattanam Rasheed Make-Up Academy in Kochi, Mitta was told that there was no membership for women make-up artists. She was disheartened, because this meant that it would be very difficult to find work in the film industry and get recognition. There were people to give her a hand, help out, but Mitta had struggled much in the past decade and was on the verge of leaving the industry. That's when she got a call from the Fefka on Monday, telling her she has been accepted. "It might...
- 7/6/2022
- by Cris
- The News Minute
ReviewThe film, directed by Kamal Km and based on real events, features Kunchacko Boban, Vinayakan, Joju George and Dileesh Pothan in the lead.CrisScreenshot from 'Pada'Building tension moment by moment and then maintaining it for two whole hours of a movie has to be an art. In Pada, Kamal Km’s new film, there is at first the suspense of not knowing what’s happening, then the happening itself, and then the anxiety of how it will end. Going against the usual long disclaimers of distancing itself from any real incident, the film starts off by saying it is based on true events. Actors Kunchacko Boban, Vinayakan, Joju George and Dileesh Pothan appear from four different corners and barely let you breathe, as a very important story about Adivasi rights gets told. If by retelling the incident more than 25 years later, Kamal – the film’s writer and director – meant to...
- 3/11/2022
- by Cris
- The News Minute
InterviewIn the anthology 'Freedom Fight', Kabani plays herself in 'Asanghadithar' and is cast opposite Jeo Baby in ‘Ration’, where she plays a woman in a lower-middle-class household.CrisKabani in 'Ration', 'Freedom Fight'In Asanghadithar, meaning the unorganised, a segment in the anthology Freedom Fight, actor Kabani H plays herself. She introduces herself as Kabani, an active member of Penkootu, a group that was formed in a street of Kozhikode to win toilet access for women workers there. Two short films later, in Ration, part of the same anthology, Kabani is cast as a woman in a lower-middle-class home, running hither and thither to replace a fish she accidentally cooked. In both the films, you can’t fail to notice her character, presented with a quiet perfection that neither calls attention to herself nor lets you forget her. "I don't know if you can call me an activist but I...
- 2/15/2022
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodThe film, directed by Kamal Km, has a bevy of talented actors including Dileesh Pothan, Unnimaya Prasad, Kani Kusruti and Prakash Raj.Tnm StaffSomething is brewing. Three men are walking briskly from different directions. There is tension in the air. You expect a poorly planned crime, maybe a kidnapping mission or a bank robbery or worse an explosion. That’s the kind of scary picture the teaser of the new Malayalam film Pada presents. Three talented actors – Joju George, Vinayakan and Kunchacko Boban – play these three men we just described. The film is written and directed by Kamal Km, who once made a well-appreciated movie called ID. Kamal is not a director to stop with three great actors, he has included in his film the talented Indrans, Dileesh Pothan, Prakash Raj, Unnimaya Prasad, Shine Tom Chacko, Salim Kumar, Kani Kusruti, Sajitha Madathil, Sudheer Karamana, Tg Ravi and a whole lot of other actors.
- 8/22/2021
- by Cris
- The News Minute
TollywoodFilmmaker Vidhu Vincent made her directorial debut with the Malayalam film ‘Manhole’, for which she bagged the Kerala State Film Award for Best Director.Tnm StaffCourtesy..FacebookFahadh Faasil unveiled the title poster of the upcoming Malayalam movie Viral Sebi, which is directed by Vidhu Vincent. “Unveiling the poster of Viral Sebi Directed By Vidhu Vincent, Produced by Badusha Productions! Best wishes to the entire team,” Fahadh wrote on August 14. The movie is produced by Badusha and Manju Badusha under the banner of Badusha Productions. The screenplay for Viral Sebi is by Sajitha Madathil and Anand Haridas. The poster was also shared by Manju Warrier. The actor wrote: “Good luck dearest Vidhu Vincent, Sajitha Chechi, Badusha and the entire team!” Details about the cast and crew are yet to be revealed by the makers. Filmmaker Vidhu Vincent, who is directing the movie, is also a journalist, writer and theatre activist, and...
- 8/15/2021
- by Rajeswari
- The News Minute
ProfileEntering the world of cinema quite accidentally, Miss Kumari never bowed down to stardom, but downplayed her success and led a simple life.CrisCourtesy for all images - Babu ThaliathHearing a strange sound outside the house, Sreedharan Nair drops his book on the bed and opens the front door. There, drenched in the rain, stands Neeli, trying to stay under the roof. Get in, he asks her repeatedly before a reluctant Neeli goes in to dry herself. Sreedharan can no longer focus on his book, he walks into the room in which Neeli is resting. That is the first scene of Miss Kumari in Neelakuyil, the iconic 1954 film that became the first in Malayalam to get a national award and the President’s silver medal. Kumari, then 22, had already been a star, having done about a dozen films. In Neelakuyil, directed by P Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariyat, she played a...
- 3/8/2021
- by Cris
- The News Minute
Controversy The director of ‘Stand Up’ has accused Wcc of showing double standards.Tnm StaffA week after leaving the Women in Cinema Collective (Wcc) of the Malayalam film industry, filmmaker and former journalist Vidhu Vincent published the resignation letter she wrote to the organisation, triggering many discussions. She had to publish the letter after false campaigns about her had risen in the past few days, Vidhu writes in a Facebook post on Monday. The letter is an explanation of her choice of producer for her last film Stand Up as well as accusations against the Wcc for ‘showing double standards’ in treating different members differently. She alleges classist and elitist behaviour and gives examples of instances when each of them had to associate with people who supported actor Dileep, the man accused in the sexual assault of a woman actor in a moving car in Kochi in 2017. The Wcc was formed soon after this,...
- 7/6/2020
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodThe film, presented by director Aashiq Abu, has received critics’ appreciation at various international film festivals, including the International Film Festival of Kerala last year.Tnm StaffUdalazham, a film about a tribal transgender person in Kerala, will release in theatres in Kerala on December 6. This was announced at a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram by its director Unnikrishnan Alava. The film has received critics’ appreciation at various international film festivals, including the International Film Festival of Kerala last year. Director Aashiq Abu is presenting the film. Read: Unnikrishnan Avala's 'Udalazham' shows the trials of a tribal trans woman in Kerala Mani plays Unnikrishnan’s hero, Gulikan. Mani was last seen in Mohanlal’s little noticed but critically acclaimed film Photographer, where he played a tribal child. Mani too hails from a tribal family in Nilambur. Despite the attention and the state award for best child actor he got that year (2006), Mani...
- 11/17/2019
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodReba, who made her acting debut with the Malayalam film 'Jacobinte Swargarajyam', was last seen playing a role in the Vijay starrer 'Bigil'.Digital NativeThe Malayalam film Forensic was launched last month with the official muhurat happening in Palakkad and the shooting is in progress. An update about this film is that Reba Monica John has bagged a role in it. A picture of the actor posing with Tovino Thomas and directors Akhil Paul and Anas Khan has been posted on the movie's Facebook page, with the caption: "The Bigil girl joins Forensic!." Reba, who made her acting debut with the Malayalam film Jacobinte Swargarajyam, was last seen playing a role in the Vijay starrer Bigil that hit the marquee for Diwali. She had played an acid attack survivor in the film and captured the attention of audiences with her performance. Besides wielding the megaphone for Forensic, Akhil...
- 11/5/2019
- by Cris
- The News Minute
Controversy The actor said that mothers would now be scared to let their children go out or read books.CrisAlan as a child and Sajitha Madathil / Courtesy: FacebookOn Monday night, Sajitha Madathil, theatre and film actor, speaks tiredly. She’s spoken much about her nephew Alan Suhaib – 'Alan vava' to her. Alan and Thaha Fasal, two law students, were arrested by the Kerala police for allegedly distributing pro-Maoist materials, and charged under Uapa (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act). Sajitha went to see Allan in the jail, told the media that she believes he has done no wrong. “All we can do now is expect that he would get bail, that Uapa would be removed, but don’t know what the police would do,” she tells Tnm on a phone call. Hours after the call, Sajitha had to put a Facebook post about the abuse she is facing on social media. “I...
- 11/5/2019
- by Cris
- The News Minute
CinemaMani PR was in class 6 when he won the Kerala State Film Award 2006 for his first movie ‘Photographer’, starring Mohanlal.Shiba KurianDressed in a pale yellow shirt and a pair of jeans, with hair pulled back and tied in a ponytail, Mani PR sat quietly at the panel discussion of the Bangalore Queer Film Festival (Bqff) on August 4. When offered the microphone, he was initially reluctant to take it; after a little nudge, he finally took it. “My name is Mani. I'm from Wayanad. I'm the actor of Udalaazham. I'm happy because it is my second movie. I acted along with Mohanlal in my first movie,” he said with a smile. Udalaazham, a 2018 Malayalam movie that is yet to be released in theatres, has been screened at a few film festivals, including the International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk). The story revolves around Gulikan, a tribal trans woman who is...
- 8/13/2019
- by Shiba
- The News Minute
SatireSreenivasan has been acting, writing and directing films for decades. Yet he believes there is no gender inequality at the workplace. CrisIt must be so nice to be Sreenivasan. To be in your 60s and still live in an utopian world, believing everyone is oh so wonderful and oh so kind, that Maveli still rules Kerala and all people are living ‘onnupole’. Sreenivasan has been acting, writing and directing films for decades. Yet he believes there is no gender inequality at the workplace, and there is no exploitation of women. Except, of course, when ‘they are willing, anything can happen’. Such a sweet world it must be for him, where nothing goes wrong. And when everything is so perfect, what is the need for a collective like the Women in Cinema Collective? What’s the need for it, what’s their demand, he asks innocently in a recent interview to Manorama.
- 5/8/2019
- by Cris
- The News Minute
Popular Malayalam actress Sajitha Madathil is contemplating on what needs to be done next, after the unpleasant experience she had to face at the hands of a Tamil film industry professional. Madathil told Ians on Wednesday that she had posted on Facebook about the bad behaviour she had to face from a person who called her and identified himself as Karthik and working as an assistant director in Tamil movies.
"The call came on Monday asking me details about my films and after a while came the unexpected statement - 'are you ready for compromises and adjustments?'. This was a shock to me," Madathil said.
She said she then posted about the sequence of events on Facebook, including the number of the caller.
"Later, through someone known to me, he said he is prepared to apologise, and also said I was mistaken. I made my stand clear and said...
"The call came on Monday asking me details about my films and after a while came the unexpected statement - 'are you ready for compromises and adjustments?'. This was a shock to me," Madathil said.
She said she then posted about the sequence of events on Facebook, including the number of the caller.
"Later, through someone known to me, he said he is prepared to apologise, and also said I was mistaken. I made my stand clear and said...
- 4/25/2019
- GlamSham
MollywoodThe movie, about the bond between a father and daughter, will have Vinayakan playing the dad and newcomer Priyamvada, his child.Digital NativeShanavas K Bavakutty who made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Kismath is now busy with his second film. Titled Thottappan, the film has Vinayakan playing the title role. Incidentally, Thotappan is inspired from the novel of the same name penned by Francis Noronha. The film’s first look poster was unveiled recently which showed Vinayakan holding a baby aloft. From what we hear through sources, Thottappan is a film about the bond between a father and a girl child. It has Priyamvada making her debut and she will be seen as Vinayakan’s daughter. Roshan Mathews is playing an important role as well. The technical crew of the film includes Suresh Rajan for cinematography. The screenplay for Thottappan is written by Ps Rafeeq. The film is...
- 12/19/2018
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodThe film casts Mani, the child actor from Mohanlal's 2006 film 'Photographer', as the protagonist.Cris At one end of Thiruvananthapuram's Tagore Theatre, Bina Paul asks Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi about neo-realism. On the other end, a bespectacled, bearded man walks slowly, listening to the words Majidi speaks in a foreign language. A day before, he had been at the other end, surrounded by viewers of his film, Udalazham. Till that first screening at the International Film Festival of Kerala, Unnikrishnan Avala was panicky, nervous as a first time filmmaker would be. But the love and acceptance that people coming out of the Tagore Theatre gave him should have removed all doubts from the mind of this LP teacher. Like a true teacher, he answers questions in order. From his teacher days to writing stories and newspaper features, to realising the power of visualising what he wrote. And only then,...
- 12/11/2018
- by Cris
- The News Minute
IFFIMalayalam film 'Olu', directed by Shaji N Karun, will be the opening feature film of the Indian Panorama 2018.Tnm StaffA still from the film Pariyerum PerumalThe Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced the list of films that will be screened at the prestigious International Film Festival of India in Goa this year. With five Malayalam films, four Tamil films and one film each from Telugu and Tulu, the festival is set to screen a host of films from the southern states. According to a statement by the ministry, the Feature Film jury of 13 members was headed by director and screenwriter Rahul Rawail. Malayalam film Olu, directed by Shaji N Karun, will be the opening feature film of the Indian Panorama 2018. The jury comprised actor and filmmaker Major Ravi; director Agathiyan; director, producer and screenwriter Ujjwal Chatterjee; director Imo Singh; filmmaker Utpal Datta; director Sekhar Das; director and writer Mahendra Teredesai...
- 11/1/2018
- by Manasa
- The News Minute
MollywoodFrom assistant director to dance master, Anjali Menon's 'Koode' has several women behind the camera. Because they're good.CrisAnjali Menon is not fond of labels. She's not a "woman" director, she'd like to be known as a filmmaker doing good work. Keeping to her style, therefore, the fact that Koode, her upcoming film, has several women behind the camera and in front of it, has not been tom-tommed by the team. Rather, Anjali Menon has made a statement by not doing so. They're in her film because they're talented. Period. This makes the choice of these women even more tasteful. And all of them have the same words to say about their director. Anjali Menon is just "too good". ‘Nothing short of a visionary’ “Our director Anjali Menon is nothing short of a visionary,” says assistant director Chandrika Chandran, who started her film career assisting Mani Ratnam. Koode is the first Malayalam film she has worked on. “Despite having some initial worry that the language barrier may be too wide, I soon found out that much like music, film has no language. It is about moments, emotions, and choices - something we are all familiar with.” Chandrika Chandran And then Anjali made it easier. “She has a beautiful way of living her scenes rather than just visualising them. She walks into the rooms the characters will inhabit in the scenes, and fills them with real life experiences and tangible memories. She is an instinctive storyteller, and has a great way of personalising each and every character’s story, so that regardless of where in the world you grew up, you will always find a connection,” Chandrika tells us about her director. None of them could take their place for granted. “Though she made it a point to put together a crew that had quite a few women, she made it clear that no concessions were to be made specifically for us. We were each expected to earn our place.” ‘She wanted simple songs, not poetry’ Shruthi Namboodiri, who wrote the lyrics of Koode’s title song, was a last minute entry. “It is in April that Anjali happened to see my work – 'Baale' and 'Charulatha'. She liked Baale better and put a post on Facebook which was a huge recognition for me. I adore her a lot, and respect her,” Shruthi says. So, when she got a call from Anjali to write a song, she didn’t think for a moment before saying yes and that she will do it. However, she warned Anjali that she was not a professional lyricist. That’s all right, said the director, let’s see if it works. And it did. “Anjali was clear that she wanted a very simple song, not poetry. But words that even kids could sing along to," says Shruthi. This was a bit of a challenge for Shruthi who was known for her out-of-the-box vocabulary in songwriting: “But then it helped break the stereotype that I have been saddled with. People used to ask me why I can’t use simple words.” Shruthi wrote about 13 versions of the song. There were corrections made up to the point when the song was recorded. After the quick making of the song, during which she had not even seen Anjali in person, Shruthi says her respect and adoration for the filmmaker has only gone up. 'Casting wasn't easy' Perhaps half the magic is in that name. Anjali was already loved for Bangalore Days. And for Manjadikkuru, her first, though that didn’t enjoy the reach Bangalore Days did. For Pooja Pradeep, working with Anjali had been a dream. It is her first work for a film, partly doing the casting, and a little bit of branding too. It was not easy hunting for new faces, especially the younger versions of the leading trio – Prithviraj, Nazriya and Parvathy. But they managed to pull it off. Subin – Prithvi’s younger version – especially looks a lot like the star. “She had told us how the characters should be, their personality,” Pooja says. 'It was like being at home' Then there is Mitta Antony, the make-up artist who had gone through a lot of struggle in the film industry. Her opportunities were denied by people she considered to be mentors. The recognition for a woman make-up artist did not come easy. She could not get a membership with Fefka because women make-up artistes were not recognised, even after the 2014 Supreme Court order lifting this ‘ban’. Mitta Antony With a lot of trouble, Mitta had secured a membership from the Ccmaa (Cine Costume And Make Up Artist Association), that would make her eligible to work anywhere in India. But even that didn’t help. Until slowly, the industry itself began to see changes, and support came from all corners. Sajitha Madathil spoke of Mitta to Anjali. And one day Anjali called her. “She has been so supportive. Not just her, the producer Renjith, actors Nazriya, Parvathy, everyone. It is like a dream project for me. It was like being at home,” Mitta says. Among all the departments that Anjali pulled women in for, this must have been the rarest. Choreography, costumes and more But it doesn’t stop there. For costumes and choreography, Anjali remembered the women she worked with in Bangalore Days. Brinda Master, who has been in the industry for 30 years and who choreographed the famous ‘Mangalyam’ song in Bangalore Days, was happy to be on Anjali’s sets again. Brinda Master “It was all misty in Ooty and I could not see anything,” she laughs. “But I have to work as soon as I reach. That’s my way. It was a college where the dance song (Paranne) was shot. I love the way Anjali presents everything and I loved Littil’s camera work,” Brinda says. She’s talking about Littil Swayamp who did the cinematography. Nazriya would fill the whole place with energy as soon as she came. And the singers including Siddharth Menon who appeared for the song were just ‘fantastic’, says Brinda. She has also worked on another song, a slower one, which begins slow and ends in a fight. “There was no fight, Anjali and I were the fight masters.” The two make a great team. She remembers at the end of the Mangalyam song shooting, the whole unit had danced together, including Anjali and Brinda. Anjali also remembered to bring on board Pampa Biswas from Bengal, who had worked with her for Bangalore Days. For costume design. “Working with Anjali is a collaborative process. She partners you in every way. You can throw around ideas. It is a democratic process,” Pampa says. Pampa Biswas and Akhila Menon Koode costumes were not easy. They were shooting in Ooty and Anjali wanted her actors to be very comfortable. “She did not want the clothes to stand out. I believe in that too, that the story is always important. Clothes and everything else is secondary.” So Pampa went for feathers and winter wear. Limiting, but working with layers always adds a kind of touch, she says. Assisting her was Akhila Menon from Mumbai. Akhila Menon Set designers were again two women – Shrimathy Karthikeyan and Anjali Mandapaka. Shrimathy, an architect, turned to set design two years ago. Koode is her second film. “Both the director and the production designer made it comfortable to work. Anjali gives out this positive vibe and we were all like a family living in this big house,” Shrimathy says. Shrimathy Karthikeyan And finally, Smitha Nambiar did the corporate communications and Shital Dedhia the accounts for Anjali. Mini Sarma from Dubai was the line producer. It would be a whole different story to write about the women in front of the camera, Anjali’s actors, beginning from three-year-old Meera who plays Nazriya’s younger version to Nilambur Aysha, one of the senior-most artistes in the industry. But they would be seen and appreciated this week when Koode comes to the theatres. Those behind the camera, whose faces we do not see but whose work makes the movie what it is, should just not be forgotten. Read: The women of 'Kaala': How Pa Ranjith's film breaks gender moulds in Tamil cinema...
- 7/10/2018
- by Monalisa
- The News Minute
Protest The strongly worded statement says the attitude of Amma is clear from their decision to bring back Dileep.Tnm StaffIn yet another strong move from the Women in Cinema Collective, 15 of its members have come out with a statement explaining why they had never become part of Amma (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists). The statement signed by 15 female actors including Amala Akkineni, Ranjini Pierre, Sajitha Madambil and Kani Kusruti, says they realised Amma as an organisation cannot be trusted from the way it approached the sexual assault on their colleague in February 2017. In a strongly worded statement shared on Wcc's Facebook page, the female actors cited eight reasons why they chose to abstain from the most powerful body of the Malayalam film industry. The reasons are as follows: 1. In an industry where there is not even a concept of equal pay, the act of imposing Rs 1 lakh as membership fee is neither pro people nor democratic. 2. The way Amma approached the issue of sexual assault of one of our colleagues, shows that their decisions cannot be trusted. 3. The silence that the organisation (Amma) generally maintains towards the founding members of Wcc, and the issues they raise, are precarious and irresponsible. There is no other option but to reject an organisation which is not capable of a healthy and ideological debate. 4. The attitude of the organisation towards women was clearly portrayed in the retrogressive skit which was presented in the recent celebration of Amma, and in their move to take back an actor accused in a case of sexual violence. 5. The history of the organisation; which has been scripted together by fans associations and star centered power coteries, has convinced us that there is no possibility of a democratic system paving way for a debate in the near future. 6. We also understand that star personalities who head the body are not capable of reconstructing it in a way which would incorporate women with self-esteem, and to respect their work place. 7. Other than using women as show pieces, the organisation has not attempted to ensure their participation in its responsibilities and decision making. 8. We firmly declare that we don’t want to be part of an organisation that is anti-human. "We are committed to open all the needed ways for the coming generation to create timely art which is beyond caste, religion, gender and factionalism through movies, a medium Malayalis immensely love," the statement further said. The statement has been issued by actors Abhija Sivakala, Amala Akkineni, Archana Padmini, Darsana Rajendran, Divya Gopinath, Divya Prabha, Jolly Chirayath, Kani Kusruti, Sajitha Madathil, Ranjini Pierre, Samyuktha Nambiar, Santhy Balachandran, Shylaja Ambu and Sujatha Jannnethri. The ultimate aim, the statement says, is to create a space to approach movies as a medium and an art with more care, respect and trust. Read ‘Your decision is anti-women’: Wcc lashes out at Amma for reinstating Dileep...
- 7/1/2018
- by Monalisa
- The News Minute
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