Text Credits: Shibul Pavithran 

Actor Dileep, who was expelled from AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Actors) last year over his alleged involvement actress violation case, will be reappointed as a preliminary member in the association as discussed in the general body meeting of the AMMA on Sunday.

Apparently Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) stayed away from the meeting. It is was established the senior actors and majority of the participants took a stance in favour of Dileep at the meeting. They focused on the action taken by AMMA against Dileep which were reportedly against the procedures and AMMA’s rules. Significantly, the new generation heartthrobs Prithviraj, Tovino and Nivin Pauly were also kept away from the meeting.

According to actor Siddique, the decision to re-appoint Dileep’s membership was taken unanimously, and the discussion lasted only about two minutes. Siddique also said, “Dileep could have approached the court against the association’s action, it was good that he did not do so. If he had moved legally against his removal, the story would have been different. It is Urmila Unni who raised the question on what decision will be made about Dileep, and as we sat around as a crowd, the members opined that he shouldn’t be ousted unless proven guilty. Also, the official procedures to expel Dileep weren’t taken last year though Mammootty had given an official statement on behalf of AMMA. So, he continues to be a member.”

Later, the new general secretary Edavela Babu also spoke in favour of Dileep citing how actor Jagathy Sreekumar was suspended and not expelled from the association when he was charged with an case earlier.

The AMMA meeting also witnessed the current head of the organisation Innocent, who is the Chalakudy MP, making way for Mohanlal as the organisation’s new president.

Howerver, this decision has not gone well with all in the industry. Aashiq Abu expressed his strong disapproval against AMMA’s decision and talked about Thilakan who was expelled till death. He posted a photo of the legendary actor Thilakan along with a note, which can be translated as, “He was not an accused in any criminal case, yet he was expelled from the association by the kingpings of the industry. Will AMMA apologise to Thilakan for expelling him on charges of expressing his opinion?”

Both his movies – Ramaleela and Kammara Sambhavam – were applauded even before they released.  In the very same style he is back in AMMA in just a year’s time with his case still pending in courts. Perhaps some of them owe him for favours that he’s done for them in the times of crises. And perhaps some just can’t believe the man who had won their loyalty and made them laugh hysterically could be anything beyond the charming, overly-polite self he has presented himself as all these years, despite the facts of the case.

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Text Credit: Shibul Pavithran 

Drinking liquor in Kerala may not be an easy task, given the fact that there are high taxes levied by the government for alcohol, unavailability of enough wine and beer shops and taboo of drinking in public places (might be worse, if you are women). Still, Kerala was regarded as one of the top consumers, when it comes to Alcohol consumption in the country.

The National Family Health Survey 2015-2016 (NFHS-4) has shown a considerable reduction in the proportion of men who drink alcohol in Kerala while the number of women who consume liquor has increased. A report by Malayala Manorama said that the percentage of men who drink in Kerala have also reduced to 37% from the 45.2% in the previous NFHS survey of 2005-2006. But, women who consume alcohol in Kerala have increased from 0.7 percent to 1.6 percent. This is when the nation-wide data of women shows a decrease from 2 percent to 1 percent.

The survey shows that in Kerala, women who drink are slowly getting accepted, but still face stiff resistance.

When American ­television host Jimmy Kimmel retwe­eted the video of girls clad in Kerala saris dancing to the ­Jimmiki Kammal song with the words “Love it”, it ­created an instant internet sensation (with record views on YouTube). But the lyrics also tell another story—the ­story of a certain normalisation of the idea, and images, of women drinking in ­Malayalam films.In 2017, at least 2-3 films show women in a pleasant drunken haze, not to mention the mother who downs a whole ­brandy bottle in the song. In ­Angamaly ­Diaries, Lichi does a happy-go-lucky tipsy walk, while, in Sarvopari Palakkaran, a very pleased ­matriarch is poured a drink at the onset of ­marriage celebrations. Many old movies also have good representation of women having alcohol on screen, one scene from Olympiyan Anthony Adam, where Valsala Menon kills it with Jagathy Sreekumar over a few drinks, was quite popular among Malayalam movie lovers.

According to the report, this change is in sync with the national trend as the proportion of men who consume alcohol in the country also declined slightly from 32 percent to 29 percent. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data also back the declining trend.

Kerala’s notorious liquor queues, which usually extend all the way from the beverage-store counters out on to the roads, are not a place for the sober or the weak of hearted. These queues would make for an interesting sociological study: tenanted as an all-male preserve, unashamedly misogynistic. Women rarely venture there for fear of falling victim to the “righteous” wrath of male dipsomaniacs.

The idea that only “loose” women drink was a prejudice reinforced by popular cinema and Orthodox communities. Media and cinema both should bring back or heal that image of women, where they were shown as some old-fashioned lame women, acting all lusty, with her curls let loose and appearing to be submissive for their male counterparts, after a having one or two drinks. But rather show the real side of women in today’s time, who is a fierce feminist; one who is decently educated and independent, unapologetic, highly sarcastic and prudent enough to handle herself, even after she chugs a few drinks down.

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