If Actresses Are Bad, They Might Share Bed: Kerala MP Innocent

MP Innocent spoke about the casting couch in the Malayalam film industry in response to a journalist’s question.

Kerala MP and Malayalam film actor, Innocent Vareed Thekkethala.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook / Innocent)

On Wednesday evening, Innocent Vareed Thekkethala, an independent MP from Kerala supported by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said in response to a journalist’s question about the casting couch in the Malayalam film industry:

If actresses are ‘bad’, they may share their bed.

Further, the MP, who is also a popular actor, justified his remarks saying:

Whatever I said was not wrong. I don’t need to clarify anything.

On Saturday evening, the Kerala Women's Commission said it would investigate the matter, according to an ANI report.

Watch the video here:

Quoting Actor Parvati from a recent interview, a journalist had questioned Innocent on the ‘casting couch’ culture, to which the MP replied saying:

It’s not true. That time is long gone. If anyone says anything wrong to an actress, all you journalists will get to know. There is nothing like that. However, if they are bad (in character), they might share their beds.

According to a report in The News Minute, Innocent's women colleagues and members of the Women in Cinema Collective were quick to respond to this whitewashing attempt by the veteran actor. In a Facebook post they said,

Even though we thank Innocent for the nice words he spoke about WCC, we are forced to strongly disagree with his remark that casting couches no longer exist here. The power structures that exist in a society exist here too. Many newcomers coming into the industry are exploited in many ways. Very recently only, our own members Parvathy and Lakshmi Rai have spoken loudly on this topic. We want the newly appointed Justice Hema Commission to study the issues of women in the film industry to look into this aspect also.

WCC was formed last month by the women working in the various departments of the Malayalam film industry. It is led by actress Manju Warrier.

Bindu Krishna, state president of the Mahila Congress – the women's wing of the Congress party – said Innocent's statement is a shame and an insult to Kerala.

"Through this statement, he has proved that he does not have any respect and his position as AMMA president is not tenable. AMMA should be disbanded. For that, all those who have self-respect, should come forward," said Krishna.