Yet another actress opens up about dreaded midnight knocks in Malayalam cinema

One night, after a hectic film shoot in Muscat, actor Geetha Poduval woke up to the sound of banging at her hotel room door. She was surprised, a bit shaken. The day after, when a junior artist broke down before her and recalled a similar experience, her fears were confirmed. The knocks were deliberate, exposing a side of the film industry that Geetha had never known.
The actor, who made her debut in Malayalam films with Sukumarji’s ‘Kandethal’, told Onmanorama about the harrowing experience she faced on the sets of her second film ‘Velli Velichathil’. 

“I got the offer while I was doing my first film, 'Kandethal, ' which was shot in my mother’s hometown, Kaithapram," Geetha said. 'Velli Velichathil' director Madhu Kaithapram called her directly and offered the role. "My co-actors told me it was a great opportunity. That’s how I decided to do the film," she said. However, Geetha still feels uncomfortable about the film released in 2014. "At night, we had to face these persistent knocks, rather banging, outside our doors,” she said. The actor had posted about the experience on her Facebook page.

She said she did not speak out then because she didn’t want to let what was going around her affect her. “I was able to protect myself. However, if they had laid a finger on me, I would definitely not have kept quiet. I was also able to help the girl who faced the midnight door knocks. I know there are many good men in the industry, but I am happy that the dirt is coming out and actions are being taken. I myself have faced advances from five big names in the industry, but I had the guts to say 'NO' at the cost of leaving the industry,” she said.

She said people who were speaking out now should be encouraged. “While I am glad that people are opening up about their past experiences, I feel many people are quiet. I was never very serious about my acting career and left the industry after two films and a television serial. But imagine those who are so passionate about acting in movies. They will be discouraged by those close to them from keeping quiet. I am speaking up now, not for myself, but to give courage to girls who are still hesitant to speak about their trauma. Also, I want the upcoming artists to be aware of what is happening in the industry,” she said.
Geetha said she was asked by people dear to her to keep quiet about the casting couch in the industry. “I am an ex-central government employee who was an audit officer for 21 years. I have been extremely tough with graft and other practices and have received several threats. I was once threatened to be mowed down by a car. So, if threats do arise for speaking out against the vices in the film industry, I am not afraid,” she said.

The former actor now works for the welfare of the specially-abled through the organisation DRZYA in Mumbai. After acting in the serial ‘Crime Branch’, she ended her showbiz career career. Though her experience was good there, she says she is yet to be paid completely for work on the project. “It’s been over eight years now. I have yet to receive a good amount of payment from them. Sometimes, you get so tired that you lose the will to fight,” Geetha said.