‘Newcomers are still exploited’: Parvathy Thiruvothu calls out lack of contracts in cinema

The Justice Hema Committee report that rocked Malayalam show business in August 2024 flagged not just chilling issues such as the casting couch and ostracism of those who refuse to comply with the demands of the powerful, but also a lack of basic facilities on sets and pay disparities. It basically highlighted extreme discrimination and exploitation faced by marginalised groups, particularly women.

About two years later, actor Parvathy Thiruvothu — one of the founding members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), which played a key role in the constitution of the three-member committee headed by retired High Court judge Justice K Hema — says that newcomers continue to be exploited by the industry, where they even work without proper contracts.

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Although Malayalam cinema has witnessed a paradigm shift over the past eight to nine years, she noted that it is still fear-based and not because people feel that such exploitation and discrimination are fundamentally wrong. While she is happy with the changes, the actor said she isn’t satisfied with the pace of change. While taking part in the 15th edition of The Indian Express series Expresso at the Taj Connemara in Chennai, Parvathy opened up about the issues still plaguing the industry.

Parvathy on newcomers’ struggles

“When a production house puts an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in place, that in itself is one of the biggest wins for us because, to get people to see cinema as a workplace has been an uphill battle. We live in a space where even contracts (aren’t there)… When newcomers step in, they are told, ‘We’re just like a family. Just do it, you’re getting an opportunity.’ Even as a newcomer, you are providing a service that can be monetised by a producer. However, that is a basic tenet that is not allowed for a person just starting out. They (the makers) are trying to exploit such people’s ambitions,” she shared.

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Pointing out that show business still revolves around superstars and male actors, who are seen and treated as deities, Parvathy highlighted that, in such a system, newcomers are often denied the opportunity to voice their non-negotiables and rights.

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‘Industry changes are fear-based, superstars are still deified’

“I am vehemently against the idea of deification, which happens a lot in this industry. We tend to lose the idea of what is just and unjust when we do that, because the person can wield power over newcomers. I think that’s been done by producers and actors equally,” she noted.

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However, the actor mentioned that the elite and the powerful are now scared that, unlike before, they may be held accountable for their actions today. “A change has happened over the last eight to nine years. Although it’s a fear-based change, I’ll still take it. They are afraid of being called out; they are afraid of how much they’ll be written about, or of the cancel culture,” she pointed out.

Parvathy, nevertheless, noted that this fear won’t last long. “Fear will go on only for so long, and if they don’t see consequences, they’ll revert back to how they can exploit. Right now, there is enough fear that is keeping them from committing exploitations, such as a lack of contracts, a lack of sanitation facilities, and a lack of follow-up on payments. The issues also included inhumane working hours in the name of art. All of these are being challenged very consistently now.”

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Parvathy on WCC’s impact on Malayalam cinema

Expressing her elation that it all started with the formation of the WCC, she also commended the collective for directly approaching the government instead of fellow organisations.

She added, “We went to the then Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan. We said, ‘This is an industry that is bringing revenue to your government. How is it that you have not put in place a public policy or a policy system, or at least a regulatory authority that will decide what is just and what is unjust?’ We needed something located outside of the industry to do that. I am not particularly happy about the pace of it. But the good news is that we are extremely adamant women. We are not backing out. If they think, ‘if we delay this for a while, they’ll get tired,’ we won’t. We are already tired of the patriarchy. We are anyway going to be in an inconvenienced position. So, might as well add some spice to it.”

Parvathy Thiruvothu is currently gearing up for the release of director Nisam Basheer’s I, Nobody. Also starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Hakkim Shahjahan, Ashokan, Vijayaraghavan, and Madhupal, among others, the movie will hit the screens on July 9.