Actor Vishal's latest movie Mark Antony, scheduled to release on September 15, is receiving severe criticism for featuring late actor Silk Smitha through computer-generated imagery (CGI) and further objectifying and sexualising her. Silk Smitha was a popular south Indian actor and was known for her glamorous roles in the 80s and the 90s. The trailer, which released on September 5, stars Vishal, SJ Suryah, Selva Raghavan and others. The film appears to be a gangster drama involving time travel.
While the trailer was being criticised for sexualising a deceased actor, it invited more disapproval after the censor certificate of the film was shared on X (formerly known as Twitter). The certificate showed a number of sexual innuendos, particularly referring to Silk Smitha.One of the dialogues in the film ‘Antonyya epa vena podalam’ (We can kill Antony whenever we want) was replaced with ‘Mudhalla silkka podra’ (Kill Silk first). On the surface, the dialogues seem to be about murder but it can also be perceived as a sexual innuendo. The certificate also showed certain transphobic slurs being replaced.
Several users on X expressed displeasure at the sexualisation of a deceased actor in Mark Antony. One user pointed out women cannot escape being objectified even when they are dead and said how with the development of artificial intelligence (AI), there needs to be newer laws to curb such sexualisation. She said, “May the hell be hotter than ever when these men sexualizing a dead woman reach there to rot. Pathetic PATHETIC that not even a woman who is no longer alive could escape objectification and sexualization from these incels. AI and every new technology need laws now more than ever!”
Another user said how she wished Silk Smitha had family members so that they might have stopped this type of sexualisation in movies. She said, “This is sick & morbid and I wish she had a family who would object & stop this. Even in death, Silk Smitha is objectified. Is it any wonder people don't hire men for mortuaries?”
One X user questioned whether veteran actor MG Ramachandran would be sexualised like Silk Smitha.. He said, “In a script that recreates MGR, will you have kept a scene like this or portrayed him this way? The scene would have been ‘mass’, right? Even after she is dead, why are they not respecting her dignity? Filmmakers should have some responsibility..Hope Adhik Learns from his mistakes..”