CHENNAI: At a time when there’s increasing focus on the film industry’s treatment of female actors, a distasteful comment from director Mysskin at the audio launch of Peranbu on Sunday, has attracted the ire of social media.
The ace filmmaker was addressing the audience at the audio launch of Ram’s Peranbu which stars Mammootty in the lead. After complimenting Ram’s work, the director was gushing about Mammukka’s acting in the film, when he quipped, “If I were a girl, I would have loved him.” Seemingly not content with the reaction the comment, he said, “If I were a girl, I would have raped him.”
Shockingly, the comment was welcomed by laughter and applause by the people present at the function, including many popular film personalities. The director finished off his speech by saying, “You have to create a controversy somehow to make this film a big hit and with that, my job here is done.”
One doesn’t know whether the rape joke was premeditated, or whether Mysskin was perhaps trying to play down the seriousness of what he had just said.
When Express tried to reach the director for comments on the issue, he mentioned that he was busy writing a script, and didn’t really care about people being offended by his speech.
Director Vijay was among the many celebrities at the event. “I think we should take Mysskin’s comments only within the context of him trying to appreciate the actor. I don’t think we should create controversies out of this.”