Dear Mohanlal, Understand ‘Me Too’ Before Calling it a Fad

Dear Mr Mohanlal,

I am Bhuvana Seshan, a woman. I wish to give you a lesson on humanity first, and then talk to you about what makes a man. Sounds rude? Well, your statement on #MeToo sounded worse than this and I have to speak out because I am a woman.

You seem to sneer at a woman’s pain. Not all women are brave enough to come out with their horror stories of sexual harassment, because one section of the society is filled with insensitive people like you and, unfortunately, you people earn a reputation for yourselves.

Are you trying to protect the film industry by saying this?

“Everyone knows everything that has happened. There is not much problem in the Malayalam film industry right now. Just don’t say things and create problems. You cannot believe that #MeToo is a movement. It is a fad, it is changing into a fashion. Anything new, it will be alive for a few days. It can happen everywhere, not only in films, everywhere.”

Mohanlal

Shame on you, Mr Mohanlal.

You should be talking about protecting the women of your industry and, knowingly or unknowingly, you have acknowledged sexual harassment in Malayalam film industry. So, apologise to the women who have been harassed.

Your statement implies that sexual harassment has reduced in your industry. Good for you!

So now that it has drastically reduced, you don’t want women to bring up more incidents and ruin the reputation of the industry or is it that you are trying to protect the “honourable men” of your industry?

Your next statement: “You cannot believe #MeToo is a movement. It is a fad, it is changing into a fashion”

Wow!

A woman’s dignity is a fad to you? Oh, I would love to know your thought process when you say such things. And see what goes on in your head when you come out with such ‘lofty’ statements.

I think very less of a human being who says a woman’s dignity is a fad. Well, I think very poorly of you.

You mentioned this in your interview with Asianet when questioned whether women will play a role in your proposed charity show: “Well, they can dance, they can sing.”

Are you now objectifying women?

You are! How can a man who has been ruling the film industry, winning the hearts of millions by your exceptional acting talent be such an insensitive man? It was our fault to be misled by the honesty that shone through your eyes. After all, you are a good actor!

When Ms Manjusha asked you about your “elevated statements” on #MeToo, you giggled! Mr Mohanlal, you are lowering yourself more and more! So, a woman is a good joke to you, isn’t she? Unfortunately, the joke is on you. You continued your ‘joke’ by saying, “We (men) can come out with #MeToo; we should also start #MeToo”

Get a grip on yourself, surf the net or read what #MeToo actually is. Let me give you a brief: It is a platform for women, men and transgenders to speak out on the sexual harassments they faced/face. So you don’t need to start a separate movement and I guess you won’t have anything to say, and even if you do have something to say, I am sure it will be like a trophy story for you.

Let’s talk about AMMA MAZHAVIL. When asked about the way AMMA MAZHAVIL was panned as ‘misogynistic, sexist and anti-WCC (Women in Cinema Collective), you said that it is the demand and the intelligence of women that makes them think like that.

Unbelievable!

You are 58 years old and still we need to sensitise you with the importance of this movement.

Let me talk for all the women who are courageous enough to come out and talk about their pain in a society that nurtures a few Mohanlals: These women (including me) are more “human” than you are! Look around you. Try to look inside you.

See if you can ever notice the pain a woman could go through while being harassed and carrying it for years and years, while trying to lead a normal life, and please note that the pain never goes away. Moreover, people like you make it worse for us.

In a nutshell, when you do embark on a journey to become a better human, please try to at least not heckle or mock a woman’s pain. That would be Step 1 to becoming a man. I sincerely hope that the actor I admired and adored (note the past tense) tries to find it in himself to become a human being.

In case you need help with it, I have so many wonderful male friends who can teach you how to become one and who can show you what it feels like to respect women. Call me, anytime!

With high hopes,
Bhuvana Seshan

(The author was formerly a playback singer in Tamil cinema. She's come out with a MeToo allegation against Vairamuthu. She is a media professional now. This is a Readers’ Blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same)