*Trigger Warning: Mention Of Sexual Harassment*
I watched South Indian actress Bhavana’s recent interview with journalist Barkha Dutt as part of the “WeTheWomen” event and knew that I had to write about it immediately.
She endured hours of harassment and intimidation in a moving car on 5 February years ago. After being subjected to media scrutiny, rumours, social media bullying and a trial that saw witnesses turning hostile, she came out publicly with her Instagram post. Hours later, several Instagram handles turned “yellow” where people expressed their support for Bhavana in her fight for justice.
However, the fact of the matter remains that one of the main perpetrators of the crime happens to be a prominent superstar of Malayalam cinema.
I wrote a piece about how there is an attitude change amongst industry people after the actor was included in the charge sheet as the alleged mastermind of the crime. There were debates where insensitive comments by major public figures were made. All this time, I was hoping that in her own time, Bhavana would come out and share her story.
With her voice trembling and tears in her eyes, Bhavana courageously sat down with Barkha Dutt to finally break the silence. Here are some things one should take away from this interview and why it is important.
Bhavana Says Survivors’ Voices Should Be Normalised
#THREAD: This October marks four years to the global #MeToo movement, which began in 2017.
The movement against sexual harassment, saw women from all over the world speaking up against harassers from various industries: movies, politics, journalism, sports etc.
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— Youth Ki Awaaz (@YouthKiAwaaz) October 15, 2021
The most horrifying aspect of crimes linked to sexual violence and harassment is that women at the receiving are blamed and shamed. Being part of a conservative culture where a woman’s “dignity” is valued more than her life, speaking out about sexual violence itself is a sense of discomfort for women.
Bhavana herself described the event that took place on 17 February, 2017, as something that attacked her dignity. But she wants that attitude and culture to change.
Barkha said that oftentimes perpetrators’ actions are excused and even normalised. As a result, they tend to come back and live lives at the cost of justice. Bhavana wants survivors’ voices to come out more. She wants society to support them so that they feel safe enough to be themselves and share their stories.
This should be normalised as a culture as opposed to intimidating or humiliating them into silence.
Her recent reveal on Instagram is part of her own process of going from a victim who was silent to a survivor who sought justice.
This is something we as a society should think about. Instead of victimising women who face atrocities in their lives, one should lend their voices of encouragement to them.
She Didn’t Say Anything Against Dileep Due To Judicial Proceeding
When the investigation was going on in 2017, the accused actor had given an interview where he credited himself as someone who “rescued” her career. He also took a dig at her for not giving out a statement denouncing the media for targeting Dileep before he was arrested.
Mind you; she had complained to the Association of the Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) long before the attack against her, alleging that he was blocking her film opportunities. Dileep gave a couple of interviews but without mentioning her name.
The case is still in court and sharing information with the public can affect the proceedings. Bhavana did not say anything explicitly against the actor. But she reiterated her frustration with the culture that normalised problematic narratives and conversations around sexual violence where the survivor is chastened.
Online Harassment And False Rumours Affected Her Mental Health
Bhavana spoke about how false rumours about her are being shared on channel debates and social media circles. I myself have witnessed some of this just days after the incident took place.
It started with victim-blaming comments where people rebuked her decision to travel alone at night and over her “friendship” with Pulsar Suni. Actress Rima Kallingal slammed a Malayalam channel for propagating rumours about her after the incident.
I myself came across comments on social media circles, especially on Facebook, where people assumed that the incident was “staged” by her to trap Dileep. “People say that I did this, I staged this attack on me,” said Bhavana talking to Barkha Dutt. Such comments have affected her conscience and reduced her self-confidence.
Back then, she was also forced to write an open letter to the chief minister of Kerala.
In an interview with Vanitha, the Honey Bee actress also mentioned how actresses are dehumanised by yellow journalism, with rumours about getting an abortion in secret or having affairs.
Her words reminded me of a scene in the 2017 film Mayanadhi where Appu’s (Aishwarya Lekshmi) friend Sameera (Leona Lishoy) asks her not to visit hospitals no matter how sick she is.
“If media people catch you there, there will write that you went to get an abortion,” she said.
Bhavana expressed how demotivated she felt at one point and almost wanted to quit everything and leave India altogether to start fresh.
“It was the will in me that made me stay back,” she said when asked about what made her change her mind.
She Felt Lonely In Those 15 Days Where She Showed Up In Court
Over a period of 7 months, she had to be present in person for 15 days before the judge. Due to the judicial proceeding, she had to show up in court to fight for her side. At one point, she had to prove that “she didn’t do anything wrong”. She was subjected to several lawyers’ examinations and cross-examinations.
During those times, when her personality and character were almost vilified before the court of law, she felt lonely. Added to that, ADGP (Additional Director General of Police) B Sandhya, who was part of the team investigating the case, was transferred in a reshuffle of the top brass.
Two special public prosecutors (SPPs) have resigned from the case during judicial proceedings and developments. Four witnesses and actors: Siddique, Edavela Babu, Bhamaa and Bindu Panicker, turned hostile in court.
Since the proceedings are seeing a 5-year-long delay, there are questions about justice itself becoming an actuality. Men who attacked her, including Pulsar Suni, got bail.
I have mentioned in my previous article that no matter the reality of Dileep’s role in this case, the media and court should not forget Pulsar Suni and his men. They committed this crime and should not be victimised or humanised before the law. As long as people like him are out without reformation or rehabilitation, women will never be safe.
Good Support System Is Important To Keep Going
Society tends to glorify the idea of trauma survivors (women and men) enduring their pain and suffering in silence and alone. This toxic positive idea has to stop. It is completely okay for people to ask for help and cry on someone’s shoulders when it is too much.
Bhavana reiterated her gratitude towards her husband Naveen, family, friends and fans for their support. The close and intimate support system helped her move on. After the incident, actor Lal and his family served as the source of her support, followed by actresses like Remya Nambeesan, Rima Kallingal and others who stood up for her publicly whenever she faced setbacks.
In general cases, this support system is important. People should encourage trauma survivors to seek therapy and create a social circle filled with people they can trust and lean on.
Barkha’s overall handling of the interview is notable. In the beginning, when Bhavana said that she felt anxious, Barkha reassured her support and told her that it was a safe space for her to speak up. She did not interrupt once and let Bhavana take up the time slot.
Bhavana should be lauded for her courage. In that interview, her voice was shivering; she was seen wiping tears from the corner of her eyes. Still, she put on a brave face and narrated her experiences.
The fact that she is an actress and has a following should be highlighted because of the kind of harassment and setbacks she faced. One can only imagine what an ordinary woman has to go through.