KOCHI: A week after filmmaker Vidhu Vincent came out with allegations against a few WCC (Women In Cinema Collective) members, actor Parvathy Thiruvothu has responded to the allegations made against her and WCC.
Parvathy said that 'WCC is one such movement that is above and beyond any individual.'
“In the letter to WCC, Vidhu says she had sent me the screenplay of her film and then waited for six months. She alleges that I did not get back to her at any point. Hence, I would like to reveal the
chronology of events,” Parvathy said.
According to Parvathy, Vidhu, accompanied by her writer, had arrived on the sets of 'Uyare' when they narrated the script in detail.
“I heard them out and after reflecting on it, politely told them that the script will not work for me. When Vidhu persisted, I informed her that there were time constraints as well considering my prior commitments due to two projects that were lined up. Since she was pretty insistent that I give it another thought, I agreed to revert with a final decision within 10 days. As promised, on one of the following days I made a phone call and informed her that I will not be able to do the project,” the actor said.
Vidhu had earlier said she had approached Parvathy for the role in 'Stand Up', her second movie. Though the actor said she will respond after going through the script, Vidhu alleged that even several months on, Parvathy did not say either yes or no, making her feel that she was someone who didn't merit even a reply.
In the letter, Vidhu further alleged that WCC did not adopt the same stance when Parvathy acted alongside Siddique, who had openly backed Dileep at the time of the actor abduction case.
On this, Parvathy said, “ Even during her promotional interviews, I saw headlines in which she had mentioned my working with actor Siddique, who is also a #metoo accused. Though in the interview, Vidhu had spoken about how women like her and myself were often forced to often work with detractors. The title of the interview was misleading so as to make it sound accusatory. On December 14, 2019, I had called up Vidhu to talk this over and we had a friendly chat. When I voiced my concern she told me that she was misquoted to make the headline clickbait. The telephonic chat ended with a promise to meet soon. The warm and friendly tone of this entire conversation was somehow missing in her resignation letter,” Parvathy added.
The actor said she has always respected filmmakers and their time.
“ I know Vidhu to be a very vocal, communicative person who voices her thoughts quite openly, so it hurts me that she did not speak to me about whatever issues she had with me. I owe my work to filmmakers. I am immensely grateful to every filmmaker who gives me opportunities to collaborate with them, whether they work or not. I feel dismayed on realising that any filmmaker whose offers I have declined would feel slighted. Because that has never been my intention. I need them more than they need me,” she said.