Kayadu Lohar has opened up about objectification of women in films, saying it’s ‘the most difficult conversation to have.’ Lohar, who plays alongside Dulquer Salmaan in Malayalam film ‘I’m Game,’ was responding to questions about how actors often find it difficult to rebel against age-old practices.
Actress Lohar was interviewed by Sudhir Srinivasan and when asked about a scene from her latest Tamil film ‘Immortal,’ which features GV Prakash Kumar, the question steered towards objectification.
‘I don’t agree with unnecessarily objectifying women at all. No, not at all. I am definitely not okay about only objectifying… But if I feel like the character needs it, it’s what it demands, it’s convincing enough for me and for the story, then I think I’m okay with that to an extent,’ she replied.
The actress concluded that if she felt the film is attempting to objectify women simply for reasons like item numbers, she wouldn’t be working on such films. ‘Yeah, it’s going to trend on Instagram. But that’s something I’m not interested in at all. I will never say yes to that film,’ she added.
Responding to a follow-up question about why it is difficult to communicate such preferences, Lohar explained:
‘It’s the most difficult conversation to have. And yet you feel like you are the only person fighting for it. When you’re just one person and the whole industry thinks this is normal,’ she said.
Audience seems to be changing their mindset
She further went on to say that audience these days are starting to despise such objectification.
‘Now audience is changing their point of view about how the woman is shown in the film. Of course, there will be audiences who love this kind of stuff. But overall what’s the response from the audience? I feel like that’s changing,’ she said.
Lohar later referenced one such recent film which received flak for how they portrayed a woman character. She didn’t specify the film but fans on social media claim the Telugu film she was referencing was Ram Charan’s latest Peddi.
Several scenes featuring Janhvi Kapoor’s character were edited out after the film received negative reactions.
Elsewhere in the industry, ‘I’m Game’ is performing well at the Indian box office. Directed by Nahas Hidhayath, it’s Dulquer Salmaan’s first Malayalam project since Street Lights released in 2019.