'Lines are crossed...' Suhasini red-flags women's safety in Malayalam cinema at IFFI 2024

Panaji: Actress Suhasini expressed concerns about the safety of those working in Malayalam cinema, suggesting it is less secure compared to other film industries. She made these remarks during a panel discussion on 'Women's Safety and Cinema' at the Goa International Film Festival. Other panellists included actresses Khushbu, Bhumi Pednekar, and director Imtiaz Ali.

Suhasini highlighted the unique nature of the film industry, pointing out that unlike other professions where individuals can return to homes after work, cinema often involves large groups of people -sometimes 200 or 300 - living and working together like a family. In such close-knit environments, she noted, personal boundaries may be occasionally crossed, either intentionally or unintentionally.

“I asked my husband, "What do you do about this?” He gave me the name of a person whom we threw out of our set because he crossed a certain line. If 200 people are going to be in a new village without any rules, there will be lines that are crossed. That is where the problem is,” Suhasini said.

The actor also said that the same thing happens in the Malayalam film industry. “In Tamil films, we go back home to Chennai, in Telugu films we go back home to Hyderabad, in Kannada films we go back home to Bangalore. In Hindi films, we go back home to Mumbai. But in Malayalam films, they don’t go back home; because there is no particular place. It could be Thiruvananthapuram, it could be Calicut, it could be Kochi.. So there were lines that were crossed,” she added. The actor also said that these are the things that should be addressed.

Suhasini also shared advice for aspiring actors regarding safety. She emphasised the importance of learning work ethics before entering the industry and advised them to trust the right people.