THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ghosts of filmdom which continue to plague it in myriad other new ways were subjected to scrutiny at the first anniversary meet of Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) held here on Monday. When actress Jalaja herself remarked about not having enough avenues or forums during her filmy days to address women’s issues arising in the field, the WCC’s sense of purpose received a morale boost. She was speaking at a forum organised to reflect upon the collective’s journey over the past one year and to collate ideas and debate on how equality can be ensured.
The one-year journey of the collective had reached a full circle, it had dodged the attacks it was subjected to and stayed committed with a strong resolve to tackle the male misogyny infused in cinema. Its resolve to bring equality in the industry still held strong and a new sense of optimism resonated across the meet and the collective garnered support from noted personalities across the various spectrum.
The session ‘Punarvayana’ saw filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, noted writer Paul Zacharia, Haritha Kerala Mission vice-chairperson T N Seema, writer J Devika, and filmmaker Kamal share their thoughts and voice their opinions on redressing the various issues faced by women in the film industry.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan remarked that the society was largely to be blamed for the issue with a large section watching and celebrating movies that objectify women. “Such movies become great hits here. Although we are far ahead when compared to other states in that there is no female infanticide and that girl children are not subjected to discrimination, we have not made significant progress from there. The organisation’s involvement shouldn’t be restricted to the film industry,” he added.