With the increased use of social media, celebrities have been opening up more and more about their traumatic experiences. From casting couch to being unfairly treated in the industry for not coming from influential families, many actors have been shedding light on the darker side of the entertainment industry. Recently, during an interaction with a YouTube channel, Malayalam actress Malavika Sreenath recalled how she was sexually harassed under the pretense of auditions during her initial days.
The Saturday Night actress recalled that she was called for an audition for the role of Manju Warrier’s daughter in a film. While she refrained from naming the movie or the harasser, she shared that she never spoke about the incident to anyone. Having made a name for herself in the past three years, she revealed she can discuss it as she has a space in the industry. Recalling the traumatic event, she said that she was called to an audition “for a role in a Manju Warrier film.” However it was later that she realised that “those who auditioned me were not part of the film.”
Malavika revealed that since she wasn’t a part of the industry, she couldn’t confirm if the offer was genuine. Her mother and sister had accompanied her to the audition. After auditioning in a glass room, she was asked by someone to adjust her hair in the dressing room, where the incident took place.
Quoted by Indian Express, she recalled, “While I was adjusting my hair in the room, he came and held me from the back. He was a big, tall man. We often say – ‘Why didn’t you react at that moment?’ or ‘Why didn’t you push the person and run?’ But at times, we are unable to react. We are paralyzed with fear. I was very young. When he caught hold of me, I began shivering. I tried to push him away with my elbow. Then the person said, ‘Malavika, if you give in, people will see you next as Manju Warrier’s daughter’.”
The actress went on to share how the guy tried to persuade her to stay still for 10 minutes, while her mother and sister were waiting outside. Not knowing what to do, she began crying. The person was holding a camera as he was trying to shoot her. She continued, “I tried to knock down the camera from his hand. While he got distracted and tried to retrieve the camera, I ran out of the room crying. My mother and sister did not understand why I was crying.” She also revealed that she has gone through similar experiences “two-three times.”
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