From then to now, nothing much has changed in movie press meets. What has is the reaction

When I watched that heartbreak of a video showing actor Gouri Kishan composedly handling a roomful of men as YouTuber RS Karthik of Vera Level Cinema and Bala of I Tamil relentlessly shouted her down for asking Karthik why he wanted to know her weight, I was glad there were cameras around. At least there was proof. Also that not one journalist stood up for her. That her co-star and the director of Others looked uncomfortable, but did nothing to shut down the YouTuber. At least no one would tell Gouri she had imagined the entire thing.

Days after the incident, the actor, who made a mark with 96, is overwhelmed — the reality of what happened has sunk in, along with gratitude that she’s found ground support from the industry.

“See, when I’m walking home alone, I’d be wary and prepared for possible danger. When I went to the press meet, I thought I was entering a safe space. I’m the female lead of the film and the last thing I expected was to be hounded for a question that had nothing to do with the movie,” Gouri tells TNM.

A lot has happened since then — the Chennai Press Club has issued a statement condemning what happened, the Nadigar Sangam, Kerala’s Women in Cinema Collective and AMMA have supported Gouri, and, most importantly, many actors – male and female – from the industry have backed her. Karthik was initially belligerent, but was forced to issue an apology of an apology on video.

Among those happiest for Gouri is singer Chinmayi Sripada. She knows what it feels like to be at the receiving end of this kind of treatment. When the #MeToo movement broke in 2018, there was the by-now infamous press meet in which “journalists” harangued her, asking wounding questions. One, in particular, asked her how it felt when she was “raped”, little knowing the difference between molestation, sexual assault, and rape. A couple of journalists then turned the camera towards those asking the questions. There is a lasting image from that meet — a distraught Chinmayi folding her hands and begging to be spared.

“So much has changed since then, and I’m so glad that Gouri did what she did. I’m glad the industry stood up for her. I’m glad no one criticised her response. This unanimous support is also because of the constant calling out many have been doing,” Chinmayi says.

As someone who has covered the cinema industry for more than two decades, I’ve seen the spirits of many young actors crushed by insensitive questions.

Twenty-odd years ago, attending a press meet for a store launch in Coimbatore, I watched a young, confident female actor from the north crumble and wipe her tears in a corner. Someone had asked her an inappropriate question and while she did not understand the language fully, she knew it fell beyond the pale. 

Over the years, one has seen these entitled “journalists” – some working for weeklies, some for evening journals, some for four-page brochures that pass off for publications – ask the most obnoxious questions and ruin the press meet for everyone else. 

Not just women, it happened once with actor Vijay too. He was on the cusp of super stardom, and a request had been made to not ask personal questions. Of course, one person who has never filed an article after attending these conferences, did. The result? Vijay walked out. There’s a reason some of today’s top Tamil stars actively avoid meeting the press.

Veteran PRO Diamond Babu says he is ashamed seeing what happened at the press meet. “Kudos to Gouri. I’m glad she spoke up. It was never so bad before. Now, many people walk in saying they are YouTubers. There is no screening. Earlier, there would be one person who was known to create trouble. You could shut that person down. Now, there are hundreds. The questions are getting worse every passing day.”

Actor and politician Khushbu Sundar, whose name was mentioned by Karthik when he was yelling at Gouri, says people have been taking freedom of expression for granted and presuming no one would answer back. “In our times, there was a clear distinction between the ‘good’ press and the ‘yellow’ press. Now that has gone. I remember once a Q and A column in a Tamil newspaper had a terrible reply that reeked of innuendo. I called up the editor and asked him if that would apply to those in his home too.”

Respect, she says, is not a one-way street. “We are public figures, not public property.”

Journalist S Subhakeerthana, who used to cover the entertainment beat across publications, recalls how this pattern of questioning is not new. “It can be grilling the artistes or harassing other journalists at the event; some people flout all rules knowing well that they will not be questioned.”

She recalls an event where lyricist Thamarai was being unfairly treated by a reporter known for putting actors on the spot with his misogyny, and how director Gautham Vasudev Menon stepped in to stop him.

That’s precisely what’s missing in the Gouri episode — the director ought to have recovered enough post this incident and stepped in.

In the video, close to the eight-minute mark, there’s a definite shift in Gouri’s body language — she’s looking left and right, hoping for one ally. There’s none. “All I wanted was for someone to take me aside; I did not expect anyone to take a bullet for me. It’s finally hitting me now as to how I felt in that room. But, I also think I need to speak, because my opinion is relevant right now.”

In an interview, Karthik is heard saying, “Can I ask her about Trump?” “How did he decide I’m illiterate and can only answer a question about my weight?” fumes Gouri, a student of journalism.

What Gouri did will prove a model for other actors — that they need not smile nervously and in embarrassment as they are being put through the skewer on stage. It is years of conditioning after all — some years ago, actor-director T Rajendar referred to actor Dhansika in singular on stage and embarrassed her for failing to recognise him and give him the respect he thought he deserved. After trying to explain, she fell at his feet on stage. But that was not enough — he continued speaking. The others watched. Silently.

Horrifying as it is, the incident will hopefully bring about a change. Public relations officials hope there will be some form of self-regulation so that only genuine journalists enter press meets. They say they cannot gatekeep, because when egos are hurt the film will be targeted.

Once again, it is time to thank the cameras that were around that day. Without them, this episode might have played out very differently. Social media is a wonderful thing — it can both make you, and break you, as many YouTubers might have realised by now.

Subha J Rao is an entertainment journalist covering Tamil and Kannada cinema and is based out of Mangaluru, Karnataka.

Views expressed are the author’s own.