Why was Mohanlal’s 2018 interview with Gulf News on #MeToo problematic?

Gulf News

We re-visit this interaction that has gone viral in India and beyond. Superstar Mohanlal is dismissive and flippant about the women’s movement   For the full video of Mohanlal 2018 interview  https://youtu.be/886_KXswnKM  Read the full story here:   See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km

Transcript

00:00This is Ranjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment Editor, Gulf News.

00:10Malayalam film industry is going through a seismic shift where the MeToo movement is

00:14gathering traction.

00:16Eleven days ago, the findings of the Hema Committee had opened Pandora's box, casting

00:22couch, sexual misconduct by prominent actors and unfair wages, gender parity and toxic

00:31working conditions faced by women were revealed.

00:35Now in this scenario, an old interview conducted by Gulf News with Indian superstar and the

00:41then AMMA President Mohanlal has been picked up by various news outlets and print and visual

00:47media.

00:48You know but MeToo like you said is a, you just called it a, it's a trend to be MeToo.

00:54Why would you say that?

00:55The whole world is waking up to it.

00:56There are women who are seriously suffering as well.

00:59We can also come out with MeToo, with gender.

01:02Gender wise, we should also start MeToo.

01:05Do you ask why?

01:06It's that interview where he gives some very incriminating revelations about the actor's

01:12understanding of MeToo.

01:14He called the movement, the MeToo movement a fad.

01:18So it happened at a press conference so when I got the chance to interview him in person,

01:23I proved him further.

01:24I asked him about what did he mean by that and he explained that what he meant is that

01:29MeToo is a fad, it's just like any movement, it's not good against teen and therefore shouldn't

01:35be taken seriously.

01:36Now it was a very reductive approach shown by an actor.

01:41I mean how can you reduce an important and significant movement like the MeToo into a

01:47fashion trend like the bell-bottom pants of yours?

01:50That made no sense.

01:51Even at that point, this particular interview was picked up by various news outlets and

01:56was quoted in multiple news platforms.

01:59Now back in 2024, nothing much has changed.

02:02Mohanlal has now resigned as the president of AMMA, has not given a statement on the

02:07multiple errors and sexual misconduct allegations faced by actors like Siddique, Mukesh and

02:14Avela Babu.

02:15The list is long.

02:16So this is a very tending interview and it gives us, it's heartening to know that now

02:23this interview has been picked up again, it's back into focus.

02:26It also is a tending sign of actors of stature, big stature like Mohanlal perhaps not having

02:34an understanding of the MeToo movement or their very cavalier and flippant attitude

02:38towards women.

02:40Do watch the full interview on Gulf News YouTube and we have written several stories about

02:46this topic and about this interview.

02:49The full link will be given below.

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