Malayalam actress-activist Maala Parvathi opens up on sexual harassment she faced on film sets

In an interview with News18, she revealed experiences that have left her both angered and disheartened.

One particularly harrowing incident occurred during the filming of Apoorvaragam in 2010. Maala Parvathi was cast as the mother of the lead female actor, Nithya Menen, while her co-star, a Tamil film industry veteran, played her on-screen husband.

In a scene where Menen’s character was playfully tugging at Parvathi's saree, the male actor was supposed to gently touch Menen.

Instead, he groped Parvathi with his left hand while ostensibly participating in the scene.

Maala Parvathi described the moment: “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.”

She felt intense pain but was too stunned to react immediately. The director, Sibi Malayil, called for a retake to exclude the male actor’s hands.

Despite this adjustment, Maala Parvathi's distress was palpable, causing the male actor to repeatedly flub his lines, resulting in 16 takes for one scene.

Maala Parvathi’s discomfort was so severe that she stared him down, which led the actor to ask if she was doing something to force the retakes. Maala Parvathi said, “I kept staring at him without blinking. He would look at me and then mess up his lines.” The entire filming process was emotionally taxing for her.

This experience left Maala Parvathi so traumatized that she took a six-month break from acting. Her husband, Satheesh, encouraged her to return to work, advising her not to let such incidents deter her from continuing her career.

He said, “One should not back down. You can only win a battle when you fight it.”

In 2019, while working on Happy Sardar, Maala Parvathi faced another unsettling situation. To ensure a safe and comfortable space on set, she rented a caravan at her own expense. This decision was met with resistance from some senior crew members, questioning her entitlement to the caravan.

On one occasion, a young co-star informed her that the caravan had been moved and parked 800 meters away in a dark, secluded area after being driven by men who were drinking and laughing nearby.

Maala Parvathi recounted, “I completed my shot and rushed towards the location of the caravan to see it was not there. Since it had rained, I traced the tracks to find it parked maybe 800 metres away in a secluded, dark area under a tree. There were a couple of bouncers at the scene, who fled on seeing me.”

When she reported this incident to a senior Malayalam actor, he reportedly responded dismissively, “Are you their mother hen that you have taken the responsibility of protecting them? Have you come here for activism or to act in films?” Maala Parvathi was also subjected to retaliation when she raised concerns about a male crew member who made women uncomfortable, resulting in her being denied food and water on set.

These incidents significantly affected Maala Parvathi’s career. Once active in numerous film projects each year, she now receives fewer offers.

Despite the ongoing challenges, she continues to face the repercussions of speaking out for justice and safety in the industry