Malayalam actor Sajitha Madathil recently went through an unpleasant experience, one that has been common in film industries across the country for ages. However, she did not let it slide.
“How old are you?”, “Have you done a lead role” - these were the questions that Sajitha was asked when she received a call from a person, who identified himself as an assistant film director. On Monday, the actor, who is known for her bold characters in films and plays, received a supposed offer for a Tamil film, which was soon followed by a suggestion “to compromise and make adjustments”.
The person at the other end of the call identified himself as Karthik, an assistant director in the Tamil film industry. “After enquiring my basic details, he asked if I would be interested in a character role for a Tamil film, the name of which I cannot recall. Since there was no clarity in the details that he gave, I asked him to send me an email. This is what I do when I get an offer from other film industries, to verify if it is a genuine call or offer,” Sajitha tells TNM.
Her enquiry was soon met with an unexpected question from Karthik: “Are you ready for compromises and adjustments?”
“I was flustered and shocked. Nobody has ever said anything like this to me,” recalls Sajitha, who was alarmed but also quick to ask him if he made such “propositions” to everybody or only to female actors.
With the help of a friend, Sajitha traced the number to a travel agency. “And so, I called Karthik from another number, posed as another caller and asked him for details of the movie. He gave me the exact same details, including the name, Karthik,” she says.
How Sajitha responded
Sajitha decided to give a befitting response to the man. She posted her experience on her Facebook page, along with Karthik's number and a message that reads: “Anybody who is ready for this, please call him”. When TNM, and other Facebook users, tried calling, the number was switched off.
When Sajitha’s cousin tried to ask more questions to the man before he switched off his phone, and said that they could file a police complaint, Karthik attempted to call and message her multiple times to apologise. “But when I asked him why I should accept his apology, there was no response from him after that,” she says.
Sajitha, who won the State Film Award for the Best Second Actress for the 2012 movie Shutter, explains why she put up the post on Facebook.
“This man was trying to normalise such behaviour. This is sending out a wrong message to the next crop of aspiring actors. That’s why I decided to put up this post. Surprisingly, I received support from a lot of people after I posted the message, unlike other, similar posts where people ask the victim to ignore such behaviours. People in the film industry should be aware that it is not right to ask such questions to a woman," she says.