Thomas Isaac and actress ParvathyAward-winning actress Parvathy was the latest victim of cyber-bullying after she criticized the 'misogynist' dialogues in Mammootty-starrer Kasaba at an open forum at the recently concluded International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).
But there have been a few strong voices of support that upheld the freedom of expression of an individual. In a recent Facebook post, Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac said such abuse against women was highly condemnable.
He wrote, "Parvathy is an incredible actress who won an award for her amazing acting prowess at the International Film Festival of India held in Goa. This young woman who upheld the pride of Malayalam cinema at an international venue is currently facing a scathing cyber attack. She is being abused on social media for voicing her opinion about a few supposedly misogynist dialogues in a movie. Such violent traits that are being unleashed against a woman are highly condemnable. This is definitely not the first instance of women facing such abuse. It is quite evident that the women in the cinema industry who have started organizing themselves have irked someone."
Isaac said actors like Sajitha Madathil, Reema Kallingal and screen writer Deedhi Damodaran had also been recent victims of cyber abuse by supposed fans and admirers of other actors. He stressed that this trend was highly misogynist and therefore denounced.
"What Parvathy said may or may not be right but this is definitely not the way to respond," he said.
He said intolerance had sky rocketed in cyber space. He added that those who voiced a different opinion were usually attacked on social media in the most heinous way.
Thomas Isaac says, "there has been a trend to constantly snub and attack the members of the Women in Cinema Collective since its inception. Cinema is a place where a lot of women are exploited. So, it is highly deplorable for a society like Kerala, which has high cultural values, to quash the brave voices of those women who speak up against atrocities committed against them."
He concludes his Facebook post by saying that it is absolutely necessary to support and encourage such women's organizations.
