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  1. Parvathy Thiruvothu- A Fearless Woman

Parvathy Thiruvothu- A Fearless Woman

Parvathy Thiruvothu is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the South Indian film industry (Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada film industries. In India, states are divided based on the language spoken. Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada are languages spoken in southern Indian states Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka respectively.). She is a two-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for best actress. Parvathy Thiruvothu formerly known as Parvathy Menon changed her surname since it represented her caste title. Thiruvothu is widely known for her fearless statements on public issues. When male superstars take a safe stand by not intervening in public affairs, Thiruvothu is one of the few film stars who grab attention for bravely publishing her statements. One might ask what is very courageous in posting something online, it is just a matter of a click. Thiruvothu’s case is different. She is in a place where feminists are shamed online and where some people (including women) still believe that women are inferior to men. One response from my survey said that women are inferior to men. Thiruvothu has faced cyberbullying multiple times. As a result of years of cyberbullying, she took a break from social media in 2018. She eventually returned a couple of months later.

One of the main cyberbullying Thiruvothu had to face was when she openly expressed her disagreement with the misogynistic scenes from the 2016 Malayalam movie ‘Kasaba’. Kasaba stars one of the superstars of the Malayalam film industry, Mammootty who has a career spanning over four decades. According to an online news website Firstpost, at an open forum at the International Film Festival of India in 2017, Thiruvothu, while discussing misogyny in movies, referred to Kasaba. This irked Mammootty fans all over the world and she was continuously bullied on social media. One fact that might shock someone is that some of the most hate Thiruvothu received were from women. The fact that Thiruvothu was sharing the stage with Rima Kallingal and Geetu Mohandas (Indian Director and Actress) angered the cyberbullies more than any other. The consequence was, she faced rape threats, acid attack threats, and death threats on social media. The controversial scene in Kasaba displays a misogynistic attitude. Thiruvothu argued that it leaves a message that doing such things might look sexy and cool even if it is not.

Prominent Malayalam stars including Mammotty did not come to publicly support Thiruvothu. A writer-director Vishakan K.P. criticized Thiruvothu by calling her a fascist. According to *newsminute.com, Kasaba *director, Nithin Renji Panicker posted on social media that Thiruvothu is trying to be popular by shaking a big tree. My question is, why would Parvathy Thiruvothu who went to the International Film Festival of India in 2017 to receive that year’s best actress award, who is already the center of attraction, say something to get more attention? Another prominent derogatory comment was from Malayalam film producer Joby George. He said,

“If Geethu aunty and Parvathy aunty tell me the dates of their birthday, I will show Kasaba in the full house as my birthday gift.” (thenewsminute.com)

Thiruvothu lodged a complaint against the Mammootty fans who abused her on social platforms. Some namely Printo and Rojan from the Kollam district of Kerala were arrested in connection with the case. Both were released later. Upon release, Printo was offered a job by producer Joby George. There were also people like Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac, who suggested the cyber attack was deplorable and praised Thiruvothu for making Kerala proud by winning the best actress award at the International Film Festival of India.

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