As a bold and talented actor with her foundation in Drama, Sajitha Madathil minced no words in her views on misogyny in Malayalam cinema. Hinting at the ‘casting couch’ situation she said that earlier there had been an attempt to ‘normalize’misogynistic practices such as seeking sexual favors in return for rightful wages or frowning upon the women with an opinion. Famous for her outstanding performance in the movie ‘Shutter’, Sajitha pointed at the insecurity in Malayalam film sector with no job security and the dictatorship of ‘powerful individuals’.
She considered that the government had a responsibility in filling the ‘Gender pay gap’ in the Malayalam film industry. Though she had not been a member of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists(AMMA), Sajitha suggested that organizations like that should shed their hierarchical structure for a far more democratic setup. She questioned the need of an organization like AMMA with a membership fee of Rs.1.25lakhs when the government had constituted a welfare board for artists and the medical treatment and pension schemes were offered by the Culture Department and the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. Her opinion resonates with director Ashiq Abu who had called AMMA, a ‘mafia’.
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In an interview given to The Hindu newspaper she also said that WCC was a complementary platform which should continue its fight for a gender-sensitive working environment in the film industry. She suggested the formation of an Internal Complaints cell(ICC) to look into complaints about gender bias and safety.
Angst at the scant regard to women’s dignity even at government sector, Sajitha considered the number of women employees in the Kerala State Film Development Corporation(KSFDC) run establishments as meager. She asked why there could not be reservations for educated women and also queried the possibilities regarding the deployment of Kudumbasree women for technical support. Sajitha Madathil also pointed towards the possibility of having an all-women lighting unit and also a scholarship for the girls interested in film/technical studies.
Regarding the apathy shown by CPI(M) affiliated members in AMMA towards the attacked woman artist in Cochin and also on their lenient stand towards actor Dileep, she said those with the mandate of people were shirking their responsibility of standing for justice.
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