Ever since actor Malayalam actor Parvathy called out the misogyny in Malayalam cinema and mentioned industry veteran Mammooty’s film Kasaba at the International Film Festival of Kerala for its sexist dialogues, she has been subject to vitriolic online abuse.
While most mainstream actors have kept a guarded silence on the issue, Thiruvananthapuram Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has called out to senior male actors in the industry to stand by her.
Tweeting a story by TNM, Tharoor said that although he hadn’t watched the film, he supported Parvathy’s right to express her views.
I haven't see the film but i strongly support @paro_nair's right to express her views on misogyny on our cinema screens without being subjected to rape&death threats. I call on senior male actors in the Malayalam film industry to stand by her &start a public debate on the issue. https://t.co/J0W6avZSwm
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 27, 2017
This was TNM's story that Tharoor tweeted:
This is not the first time that a prominent figure in the state has come out in support of the young actor. While some people from the industry such as Sidhique justified trolls, Kerala’s Finance Minister Thomas Isaac also stood up for Parvathy, and lauded her for winning the best actress award at IFFI and condemned the abuse.
Parvathy, in her reply to Tharoor, thanked him for his support.
“Thank you for the support sir! We need this dialogue to be sustained,” she tweeted.
@ShashiTharoor thank you for the support sir! We need this dialogue to be sustained!
— Parvathy T K (@parvatweets) December 27, 2017
The silence by senior actors, including Mammootty has been deafening. Filmmaker Jude Anthany Joseph had called Parvathy "a monkey in a circus who suddenly decided to take on her masters."
Though other actors and celebrities too have been subjected to online abuse in the past, Parvathy decided that she will not take the abuse lying down. Parvathy has filed a police complaint against a few users on social media who hurled abuses and sexual threats at her.
"Death and rape threats were there, and so was work intimidation. Many of them threatened me saying I will go out of work for what I had said. They said my career would be finished," Parvathy told earlier told TNM.
On Wednesday, the Ernakulam South police arrested Printo C, one of the cyber abusers. He had reportedly threatened Paravathy that Mammooty fans will ensure that she would never work in the film industry.