Sri Reddy protest strikes fear

Actress Sri Reddy’s claims of abuse in the Telugu film industry have created a stir and forced many in Tollywood to look inwards.

Days after Reddy staged a semi-nude sit-in outside the Movie Artists Association (MAA) office in April to protest the casting couch, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the state government of Telangana on the issue of sexual harassment in the industry.

In the first major fallout, the Movie Artists Association, a powerful trade body, withdrew the ban it had imposed on Reddy. After her protest, the MAA announced that none of its members would work with Reddy, who worked as a TV anchor before entering the Telugu film industry.

MAA President

Sivaji Raja announced that the doors of the association were being opened for the actress.

“Some elders in the association have suggested that her application for the membership should be considered to resolve the issue,”

Raja said.

“Sri Reddy is welcome into the film industry and all the artists will cooperate and act with her,” he added.

Reddy, while staging her protest, had alleged that there was systematic sexual exploitation of aspiring young actresses in the Telugu film industry.

Leading director Ram Gopal Varma lauded Reddy for fighting back.

“Casting couch exists since the film industry came into being hundred years ago,” he posted on his Facebook page. “But the issue which nobody open raised during last hundred years was now being raised by Sri Reddy. For that I salute her.”

Madhavi Lata, another actress who announced her plans to launch a peaceful protest against the casting couch, appealed to other women in the industry to come forward.