'He Groped Me’: Maala Parvathi Breaks Silence on Disturbing Sexual Harassment Encounters on 'Apoorvaragam' and 'Happy Sardar' Sets

Maala Parvathi, a prominent Malayalam actress, has shared her experiences with sexual harassment while working in the film industry. In an interview with News18, Parvathi disclosed disturbing encounters that she faced during her career, including one particularly harrowing incident that occurred during the filming of Apoorvaragam in 2010. While playing the mother of actress Nithya Menen in the film, Parvathi worked alongside a veteran Tamil actor who portrayed her on-screen husband. During this time, Parvathi experienced sexual harassment from her co-star, leaving her both angered and disheartened. Usha Recalls Slapping Senior Malayalam Actor For Misconduct in Elevator; Actress Claims Mohanlal Supported Her After Incident.

“There was a scene in the movie where Nancy (Nithya Menen), who was my daughter in the film, was playfully running around me and tugging at my saree. The man who played my husband’s role was supposed to playfully touch Nancy. During the shot, he reached out with his right hand to touch Nancy, but with his left hand he groped me hard,” Parvathi told the news portal. Due to Maala's discomfort, the male actor repeatedly messed up his lines in this scene, leading to 16 takes. “I kept staring at him without blinking. He would look at me and then mess up his lines," she added.

In the same interview, Maala Parvathi recalled how her efforts to create a safe working environment on the set of Happy Sardar in 2019 were met with resistance and further harassment. Despite renting a caravan at her own expense, Parvathi discovered that intoxicated crew members had moved it to a secluded location. When she reported the incident to a senior Malayalam actor, she was met with dismissive responses.

Further, Parvathi also talked about how she faced retaliation after speaking out against a male crew member who was making female colleagues uncomfortable on set. Despite reporting the incident to the unit in charge and requesting the man's removal, she was subsequently denied food and water by the crew. “These two incidents that took place in 2019 during the shoot of Happy Sardar changed the way films came by. For a person who would act in 20 films per year, I started getting offers for four or five. Then the COVID lockdown happened. But even today, I face the impact of raising my voice for justice,” she said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2024 06:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).