“Each member of the public is responsible for the gender discrimination in Malayalam cinema as long as we accept and promote movies that show gender bias,” said writer and film-maker Sreebala K. Menon. She was speaking at a discussion on ‘Gender discrimination in Malayalam cinema and transgender politics’, organised as part of the release of the book, Kanyakayude Durnadappukal by N.V. Mohammed Rafi.
Untold stories
“The rumours about cinema are true to a large extent and there is a lot that goes unsaid in each interview. If we put together all that is unsaid, there is a long story on gender discrimination,” she said.
Make-up artiste Renju Renjimar said many members of the film industry were forced to be servile to others for their livelihood.
Kanyakayude Durnadappukal is a collection of essays by Mr. Rafi that challenges the notion of “popular”. “It puts forth a different politics of visuals. Its views challenges the establishment,” said Sreekala Mullasseri, who introduced the book. The book discusses how Rafi, who comes from a community that abhors cinema, became a lover of it and how cinema is ruled by patriarchal figures. It touches upon the issue of transgender politics that has rarely been discussed in cinema.
Ms. Menon said the book was appreciable for its readability amid many books on cinema that do not communicate well with the reader due to the language used.
