In a recent press conference in Dubai, actor Mohanlal has said that the #Metoo movement is a fashionable trend and that it will have a lifespan for a short while.
Mohanlal said, "There’s no big problem in the Malayalam industry. You shouldn’t think of the #MeToo as a movement actually. It’s a fad and it’s turning into something of a fashion."
He later added that he doesn't know much about the movement and cannot comment on it without experiencing a sexual assault.
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The actor, who is the chairman of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), said that he is being unfairly targeted when asked about AMMA's indifference to the questions raised by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). "In Kerala, people are aware of the organisation. But outside Kerala, they don’t know if it’s AMMA or Mohanlal saying it. Suddenly, they assume that I have done something wrong. AMMA is an association and fortunately or unfortunately, I am the president of that association. We have around 450 people in this association whom we support by giving them Rs 5000 a month. It’s not easy to support so many people. We are constructing many houses for people in our industry. It’s a beautiful fraternity. It’s a small association of artists. So, when anything happens they will target us first."
Recently, the WCC conducted a press meet in which its members Revathy, Parvathy, Rima Kallingal, Ramya Nambeesan, and Anjali Menon lambasted AMMA for not heeding their demands. They also pointed out the fact that Dileep, an accused in a sexual assault case, is still getting offers in the Malayalam film industry while the victim has been completely sidelined.
(This article was originally published in Cinema Express)