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Dubai-based actor, RJ Mithun: How cliques, #MeToo allegations expose Malayalam cinema's secrets
Gulf News
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2/17/2025
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00:00
Good afternoon, this is Manjusha Radhakrishnan from Gulf News, I'm the entertainment editor.
00:08
Today I have Dubai based actor Mithun and RJ who's speaking to us about a very grim issue
00:14
about the Me Too movement that's gathering traction in the Malayalam film industry.
00:20
For those who don't know, there was a HEMA committee findings which pointed towards sexual
00:25
abuse, casting couch and powerful cliques operating in the Malayalam film industry.
00:30
Several women have come forward calling out alleged predators.
00:34
Mithun, I just wanted an understanding about it, you are a male, have you found any set
00:43
unsafe for women?
00:44
I don't know, see the major thing is when I came in, I came in by around 2000 when I
00:49
started in the industry.
00:50
I was around 18, 18-19 at that point, so see at that point it's too fascinating for you,
00:57
too fascinating for you, too entertaining for you and you've heard these stories, you
01:02
are actually also looking around, oh something like that is going to happen.
01:08
So anyway at that point of time I was never actually even aware of these things at that
01:13
point.
01:14
We have all heard stories from our childhood saying that cinema is not safe, cinema is
01:18
not good for women.
01:20
So I mean I was also of the same impression, see the whole, I would always say, all of
01:25
us maybe after the Me Too movement and everything that happened out in Hollywood, we all had
01:30
a reboot happen right, till a point in which we were not actually, we were all in a very
01:36
patriarchal society, we never used to consider these things as, we used to consider these
01:41
things normal.
01:42
Yeah, we normalized not having women on set.
01:44
Which is not a right thing to happen, but I think we all grew up in a society where
01:49
we had to be transformed after some time because all of us were, I wouldn't say all of us,
01:53
a lot of us were actually going through a path which was not safe for women.
01:57
Okay.
01:58
And we used to think that it was very normal.
02:00
So there had to be a correction force where we had to actually reboot our thinking and
02:04
think that, oh you're not supposed to be thinking like this, you have to actually have a thought
02:08
in which the people around you, the women around you are safe.
02:11
Okay.
02:12
You also need to step up if the women around you are not safe.
02:16
So when I came into the industry and maybe even I took a higher position in the industry,
02:21
that was a point in which this was all considered very normal.
02:24
So we never knew these were issues at one point.
02:28
So now when you look back at it, yeah, there were a lot of issues.
02:31
There were a lot of things, there were a lot of, what do you call, adults jokes, people
02:36
you actually used to crack in front of crowds, which at that point was very normal for a
02:44
20 year old, 21 year old.
02:46
But now when I look back at it and I think, oh, I think how uncomfortable would have that
02:52
lady been.
02:53
And if it was today, she would have reacted.
02:56
So when we actually, I mean, going into a question and when we actually look at people
03:01
who are actually opening up and we are saying that, oh, this was something that happened
03:05
years back, but this is the time that you can open up and think that, yeah, I actually
03:09
went through it and now I can speak up without being in the fear of being considered a woman
03:19
in the wrong way.
03:20
I don't know a better way to put it, but that's how it is now.
03:25
Okay.
03:26
But Nitin, you are also friends with all these men, in fact, Jai Surya, et cetera, who have
03:29
all been named Mukesh, Siddhi.
03:32
How do you feel as an actor who's also, you are in a difficult position right now, I'm
03:37
thinking, because you're friends with them on one hand, do you, do you think it was long
03:41
time coming though, them being called out?
03:44
I don't know.
03:45
I mean, the first thing that I would say is, see, when the Dileep issue happened, if you
03:50
could actually say that, we were thinking, is it true or not?
03:54
We still debate, right?
03:55
We still debate with friends because see, Manjusha, I know you as a person.
04:01
I know you when we are talking to each other, when we are actually among each other, we
04:06
have discussed a lot of things under the sun, but do I really know your side, where you
04:13
do things, which are totally pure physical satisfaction or your mental satisfaction?
04:18
See, those things are absolutely your own, right?
04:21
Okay.
04:22
You don't know your relatives even.
04:23
Yeah.
04:24
Most people, most child predators are relatives is what I've seen from all the statistics
04:29
that we have.
04:30
So do you really think that anyone working along with each other would really know their
04:35
fetishes and fantasies?
04:36
Okay.
04:37
But it didn't happen in front of you?
04:39
Never, right?
04:40
Never.
04:41
I mean, to the extent of the friendship that I have with it, this is not a point in which
04:46
we have actually discussed anything of this sort, right?
04:49
Okay.
04:50
You have not witnessed it or you don't?
04:51
I have not.
04:52
I have not actually seen anything.
04:53
Okay.
04:54
I mean, that's what I said.
04:55
I mean, in my, in the years that I was in the movies, like a long time, there have been
05:01
a lot of instances which I've seen, which are, which were considered funny.
05:04
The two guys, or I mean, the two, a girl and a guy were like hooking up or like, they were
05:09
actually together, like trying to like escape from the crowd.
05:13
We thought of it as funny, right?
05:15
We were all in the same age.
05:17
We never thought that, oh, this is problematic, this is a problem, and this is something that
05:21
has to be addressed.
05:22
Never, right?
05:23
Okay.
05:24
The concept of consent came in long later.
05:26
Why I would say that?
05:27
Because when we were in college, we thought, okay, that's how we start, but we didn't know.
05:33
Okay.
05:34
I'm saying, the reboot happened to all of us a long way later because we were not brought
05:39
up in homes like that.
05:40
Right, right.
05:41
We were not actually told that this is wrong and this is right.
05:43
Right, right.
05:44
We used to have a lot of grey hair.
05:45
See, how would you actually approach a woman even, like, this is something that we're not
05:49
taught, right?
05:50
Okay.
05:51
Okay.
05:52
We saw what our parents did, what our elders did, what our adults did.
05:55
Okay.
05:56
Fair enough.
05:57
So, if you ask me, oh, yeah, you should have actually thought of that at that point.
06:00
No, I wouldn't.
06:01
Uh-huh.
06:02
I was not brought up like that.
06:03
Right.
06:04
I had to change my ways after seeing the world.
06:05
I see.
06:06
So, of all the names that have come out now, were you surprised by a few or no?
06:10
Or are you watching this developing story just like all of us?
06:13
I am watching this developing story exactly like all of you are.
06:16
I'm really surprised at a lot of names.
06:19
I've seen a very, how would I call it, like, very dictatorial stance taken by a few of
06:24
them.
06:25
Yes.
06:26
But I've not seen them take it out on women, if you know what I mean.
06:31
Like, if it is a set.
06:33
Okay.
06:34
They're strict on the set.
06:35
Strict on the set.
06:36
It's different from being abusive on the set.
06:37
Yeah, that's the thing, right?
06:38
So, I've seen them actually scold people on the sets, where they have actually said, no,
06:43
you have to do it right.
06:45
But that doesn't mean that it was, I mean, now when you listen to that, you think that,
06:50
maybe this reaction was generated because something that happened yesterday.
06:54
It's not something that we know.
06:56
No, somebody is being scolded.
06:57
You don't know they're being penalized.
06:58
Yeah, we thought that this happened because they're not giving the same result that they
07:03
needed.
07:04
But now, when you look back and think, maybe this happened because yesterday it was not
07:10
in their favor.
07:11
Oh, wow.
07:12
So, what is the way forward, Mithun?
07:14
I mean, now, I mean, reforms are likely to happen.
07:17
Names are going to come out.
07:19
The only thing that I'm worried about is, see, once this happens and a chain of things
07:25
happen, finally, this gets lost after some time.
07:29
Yes.
07:30
See, this has to be taken to court.
07:33
The punishments have to happen.
07:36
Very rightfully, they have to be tried in the lawful way possible.
07:41
What is going to happen is, they're going to say this, I mean, anyone who comes out
07:47
and says this, they know, because of the judicial system that is existing in our country
07:51
and the way anyone around, all our patriarchal society treats them, they will not move forward
07:57
to the complaint.
07:58
What will happen is, it will go to a naming and shaming bit, and then that's it.
08:03
The right action has to be taken.
08:05
It has to be taken to law.
08:07
Courts have to get involved.
08:09
Even if the women who come forward are not ready to lodge a complaint, courts have in
08:16
their ruling in a way in which they can take their own point of view.
08:20
So if they do that, then we see a lot of change happening.
08:25
See, we saw what happened in Hollywood.
08:27
Yes.
08:28
See, suddenly we saw women taking stands everywhere.
08:31
There was a pattern of behavior charted.
08:33
Absolutely.
08:34
He had an M.O.
08:35
Like if Siddique has an M.O. or Jai Surya, for instance, outside the bathroom, whatever
08:40
it is, like there will be a pattern of behavior, predatory behavior displayed.
08:45
And the thing is, see, we are already saying that, I mean, even when they are just accused
08:50
or even when women have just spoken out, we are already saying that they have an M.O.
08:54
We should also give them a chance.
08:56
The benefit of doubt.
08:57
The benefit of doubt, where they have to actually come out and say that, see, like Jai Surya
09:02
said yesterday, I'm not going to take this.
09:04
When it goes to court, I'll answer to it.
09:07
See, essentially what they did, I mean, the way they actually took away from their questions
09:13
is absolutely the right way to go.
09:15
Because if they are in a position of strength, position of power, they can actually meddle
09:20
with the whole thing in any which way.
09:22
So it's better that Ranjit step down, better that Siddique step down.
09:25
They can't hold powerful positions while being accused of a crime.
09:28
If you're being accused of something, I always think, take a step back, go through the investigations
09:34
and then come back.
09:35
Right.
09:36
Prove your innocence and come back.
09:37
Right.
09:38
Have you ever witnessed power cliques where work has been denied to you because you are
09:42
not friends with that person?
09:44
See, that's everywhere, right?
09:46
That's everywhere.
09:47
You cannot single out Malayalam film industry or any film industry for that matter and say
09:51
that if you're not friends with that person, you don't get the job because it was intended
09:55
to you.
09:56
It's not there.
09:57
See, companionship, it's people working together as a family, going together.
10:02
If you're not comfortable, definitely it won't go forward.
10:06
So there might be points in which you are actually taken instead of another person or
10:10
taken away because of another person just because you don't click with the people.
10:14
Yeah, but you have never been propositioned.
10:16
Not ever.
10:17
Okay.
10:18
Yesterday, we all spoke about this, what I would say.
10:21
This is the start.
10:23
This is the start.
10:24
I hope it goes in the right direction.
10:26
Yeah.
10:27
And take a page from Malayalam film industry, the other film industries have to learn as well.
10:31
For sure.
10:32
For sure.
10:33
It's a starting point.
10:34
You never know what will come.
10:35
Hopefully reforms.
10:36
Sure.
10:37
That's the thing.
10:38
Thank you so much for talking to us.
10:40
Bye.
10:41
Bye.
10:42
Bye.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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11:07
Bye.
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