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Bullied on sets when I refused a director’s advances: Lakshmy Ramakrishnan

I  had successful careers in business, fashion designing and event management, before cinema. After I entered films though it wasn’t easy to succeed, especially if you’re a woman. There’s little space for women in films, and even lesser acceptance. But, I have tried really hard to not stop myself from doing things just because I am a woman.

Over the years, I’ve endured many sexist remarks and faced harrassment and discrimination almost every day. There’s disparity in remuneration, and female technicians aren’t treated with respect. We talk about women empowerment, gender equality… but where’s the equality in a hero getting paid `40 crore while a top heroine’s salary is not even 10% of it? 

I refuse to believe that a film sells because of its hero.

In recent times especially, I’ve seen a lot of actors speak out against sexism, and reviewers write about underwritten female roles. But has there been any real change in the number of strong female roles? Perhaps that has something to do with how few female directors there are.

For instance, When you hear a ‘Sanjay Ramaswamy’, you think of Suriya in Ghajini (2005). Can you think of a fictional female character’s name that’s as evocative?Women are still subjugated, they’re still not respected, and worse, they’re abused in the film industry.

There was a leading Malayalam director — a man who has made films in Tamil too — who tried to make sexual advances at me. When I refused, he made it a point to insult me on the sets.

He shouted at me in public, and harrassed me by deliberately making me redo some scenes more than 25 times. I demanded an apology, and things took a nasty turn. Such men exist across the cinema industry, but we don’t really speak about them.

And now, everybody’s convinced that a woman being successful in the industry is a result of certain ‘compromises’. But nobody wants to address the issue.

I see a lot of women lobbying for equality, fighting against sexism. But where are the men? It seems almost taboo for them to speak about it. Recently, a guy who was sent by a director came to my apartment to discuss a project. As the discussion went on, he slowly spoke about making ‘adjustments’. I thought he was talking about adjusting my dates, but I realised with shock that he was talking about something else. Needless to say, I ushered him out.

Is it any surprise then that I’ve reduced the number of films I do even though Yuddham Sei (2011) did so well?! Many filmmakers don’t want to work with intelligent women. Almost all of them don’t want women who ask for reasonable remuneration. And if you’re a woman who talks about equality, god save your career. and this isn’t an issue exclusive to the film industry.

I have no doubt that 90% of all the films made in our industry will fail the Bechdel Test. For this Women’s Day, I urge the men in the industry to speak against sexism. I urge the women to speak out for themselves. The industry will not change otherwise.

Source: The New Indian Express