Pa Ranjith welcomed the #MeToo movement and said that it provided a safe space for women to recount traumatic instances of sexual abuse and harassment. Speaking to Silverscreen, the director said that the onus was on the Government to create a panel that can look into the complaints put forth and determine a course of action.
“The #MeToo movement and the forum it has created is heartening, mostly because women from all walks of life finally have a space to speak about their issues of workplace harassment. I admit that the media coverage has been restricted to the more celebrity aspect of the movement. Incidents like the one where a minor girl in Tamil Nadu who was beheaded by the man who harassed her have been left out.”
Selective outrage will prove to be detrimental, Pa Ranjith warned. “Like any movement spearheaded by the people, #MeToo can grow only if all voices are given equal opportunity to be heard. If one story is highlighted above all else, aren’t we playing judge and jury, in a way? Who are we to determine what is important and what is not?”
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The case of the minor girl who was brutally killed is a testament to the fact that media coverage can really change the conversation about an incident, he said. “Largely, everybody is focussing on the people involved and the details of the killing, than focus on the central issue here. Her voice has not been heard and that’s a severe injustice,”he said.
The director also spoke out about the growing instance of plagiarism in the film industry. “It is a disturbing trend, if all accounts are true. Such cases are difficult to analyse, in part due to the ambiguous nature of creativity. Many people can have the same story. Many people can have the same idea. It’s a rather tough process,” he said.