Nithya Menen made her comment on the controversy surrounding Janhvi Kapoor’s portrayal of Bedi, saying that actors should assert themselves and set clear boundaries from the beginning. While she admitted that she had not seen the film, she defended South Indian cinema, saying that objectification is a global problem rooted in the over-commercialization of cinema. Jhanvi has not responded yet.
Nithya Menen is the latest voice to enter the conversation about the ‘Peddi’ controversy and the questions it has raised about Janhvi Kapoor’s portrayal in the film. The actress has been vocal about not seeing “Peddi” but has not been shy about stating her stance: She is unequivocally opposed to the objectification of women on screen.
However, she was equally resolute in defending the South Indian film industry against what she felt was an unfair generalisation, and made it clear that objectification is a problem that cuts across all film industries globally and cannot be pinned on any one in particular.
Nithya Menen talks about the over-commercialization of cinema and the objectification of women
Speaking to Variety India, she said, “I feel the root of the problem lies in the over-commercialization of cinema. Whatever is commercially successful and impresses the audience is often indulged in to achieve mass success.”
Is it too much? definitely. I wonder if actors should have better boundaries and that the person performing the scene should be able to put their foot down and say it’s not okay to be objectified.
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Nithya Menen urges actresses to set boundaries from the beginning
Menin also spoke about the importance of actors knowing their place. She said she couldn’t imagine being pushed to do something she wasn’t comfortable with, adding that she was always clear about the kind of roles and scenes she wanted to be a part of.
For her, these are very personal decisions based on what the actor values and how they view their responsibility to their craft. She also gave advice to actresses: be upfront about your limits from the beginning.
Nithya pointed out that if someone spends years producing a certain type of commercial cinema and then suddenly raises objections, it becomes difficult for the industry to take those concerns seriously.“I also don’t think you will end up helpless in a situation. You can assert yourself. It depends on that person’s priority. Are there films that I can’t do or genres that I can’t do because I don’t do certain kinds of things? Yes. But I’m okay with that because I’m choosing that over fame. If you just want to be a big star and are willing to do anything to get there, that’s the call I’ve taken,” Nithya said.
Janhvi Kapoor is yet to respond to Bedi’s controversy
For her part, Janhvi has chosen to remain silent on the matter and has not made any public statement addressing the ‘Peddi’ controversy yet.
