Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam film actor Vinayakan had recently been subjected to severe harassment and abuse in the form of casteist slurs online over a seeming anti-BJP remark he made in reference to the political outcome of the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.
This has now taken another murky twist as female activists have released a strongly worded statement against the actor for making sexist remarks against them in the past. Mruduladevi Sasidharan, a female activist and poet who is based out of Kottayam, in a Facebook post, talked about her experience.
“I had respect for Vinayakan who stood by the female actor (victim in the actor assault case). Yet, I had experienced his misogynist attitude in real life. No respect for Vinayakan who asked me to sleep with him while extending him an invite to attend a programme. He also wanted my mom to do him favours. I have recorded whatever he had said. I’d watch Thottappan (his upcoming movie). I strongly condemn the casteist shaming he had faced, and I’d actively take part in the campaign against it. I stand by the Vinayakan who was racially attacked, not the one who objectified female body,” her post reads.
Support poured out for Mruduladevi on social media and several others also began sharing similar experiences. While human rights activists Rekha Raj and Ammu Deepa disclosed the bitter experiences they had gone through, Dinu Veyil, another activist spoke up about the sexist comments he had received from the state-award winning actor.
The actor, however, was unavailable for comments.
Rekha Raj’s Facebook post demanded that Vinayakan issue an apologise. “If a woman reveals that she has been sexually abused, I’d stand by her until it is doubtlessly proven otherwise. I have not listened to the recorded voice as it’s unfair to ask for evidence from the one who was subjected to violence. I uphold my faith in Mrudula and support her. Fight against male dominance in society calls for serious attention. No matter who the culprit is, he needs to be interrogated. Taking legal recourse or public shaming is acceptable to me.”
Vinayakan began his career in films as a junior actor in the 1995 movie ‘Manthrikam’. Following this, he went on to play several supporting roles before getting his big break in the move- Kammattipaadam, an award-winning movie directed by Rajeev Ravi in 2016.
He had even won the Kerala State Award for best actor for the movie. His latest, Thottappan, has him playing the lead role. It is slated to release on May 5. He is also the protagonist of Karinthandan Moopan, based the life of the founder of the Wayanad pass.
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