Actor Parvathy Thiruvothu criticised the executive committee members of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for their mass resignation, calling it a “cowardly” act.
The entire 17-member executive committee resigned on August 27, following widespread criticism over sexual allegations levelled against two members following the release of the Hema Committee report.
In a recent interview with Mojo Story, Parvathy said, “How cowardly of them to step away from a position from where they are now accountable to speak to the media. That was an immediate cop-out. And again, the onus falls on us, us women, to take the conversations and debates forward and all of it.”
She also added that they should have at least shown the intention to work with the government and other stakeholders to find a solution to the issues highlighted by the report.
“This is the same executive committee that welcomed the prime accused of the sexual assault case (of 2017), back to their fold when the case was still going on. This is the same executive committee that claimed none of these things actually exist at all until, of course, the allegations against them came out."
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The Ullozhukku actor says that she was not surprised by AMMA’s response.
“I was part of AMMA before. I have seen how they function and there is a reason why I happily resigned from the association. There is a very fear-induced atmosphere in there. You cannot speak up for your rights. There was supposed to be an “executive committee” representing you. It wasn’t. It was very hierarchical and also a very authoritarian space”.
Parvathy said the society is now seeing AMMA for what it actually is.
Kerala government’s “careless statement”
The 38-year-old actor also said that the Kerala government’s response to the allegations were weak, noting that it's not easy for a woman to come forward and file a case, especially if there is no guarantee of absolute justice.
“I think it was very careless of them to make statements like, “if women have complaints, they should just file FIR and come up with the names.” Again, the onus is put on women to name and shame and take the brunt of it after that. My question was always - what is the proof of justice that you have to show for you to demand that we must name and shame? After that, what happens to us and our careers and our lives and the legal fees and the mental health issues? No one gives a damn about that.”
The beginning of some “real change”
When asked if she was hopeful that this could be the beginning of some real change, Parvathy said, “There is a civic consciousness here, that keeps our government responsible. We do speak up.
“We began thanks to the survivor who spoke up in 2017. Since then, we have refused to step back no matter what stones were thrown at us.”
The Hema Committee report was released on August 19, causing a stir in the Malayalam film industry, with allegations of widespread sexual exploitation, assault and abuse.
