People are protesting over the rape in Hyderabad, while continuing to shame women like Chinmayi who speak out about sexual abuse in the film industry and beyond. Does a woman have to be murdered to have her voice heard? This article explores the treatment of Chinmayi and how education about sexual abuse is essential for film stars and TV hosts before speaking to the public. Written from the perspective of a diaspora Tamil, it touches upon the effect of the patriarchal film culture on ordinary people. The year 2019’s real Singapenne is Chinmayi as she continues to fight for justice breaking boundaries.

As India continues to express outrage over the brutal rape of a woman in Hyderbad, I can’t seem to understand why the nation only reacts when a woman is brutally murdered after rape but shames women like Chinmayi who speak out about their sexual predator. It’s interesteing to watch many celebrtiies post heeartfelt messages in support of the victim but were silent when women in their industry called out the sexual abuse within the film fraternity. Are they sending out the message that rape without murder is acceptable? Or is it just simply easier to jump on the bandwagon and criticize a group of unknown men rather than call out powerhouses within their industry like Vairamuthu?

After opening up about her sexual abuse by poet Vairamuthu in October 2018, Chinmayi continues to endure enormous amount of pressure and accusations — from slut-shaming to being a political puppet. It was extremely disturbing to watch interviews of reputed actors/actresses and even the intelligent Rangaraj Pandey question the timing of her story, stabbing her credibility. “She should have opened up when it happened” was the answer to all the “Me Too” questions posed to these celebrities. These are the types of reactions that prevent women from reporting such incidents. Chinmayi was officially banned by the dubbing union and her singing offers dried up. However, Vairamuthu continued his work and attended prestigious events alongside the likes of Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan. I cringed hearing Suhashini Maniratnam speaking at Kamal Hassan’s birthday function about how much Kamal prioritized women’s safety, but Vairamuthu was present in another birthday event for Kamal Hassan. Stars like Kamal Hassan are not just actors but are regarded as reputable activists, influencers and politicians. It’s time for stars like Kamal Hassan to create change within their industry before preaching about women’s rights to the masses —actions speak louder than words.

Education within the industry is important — celebrities need to educate themselves about a topic before conducting interviews, as the public considers them as role models and godly figures. The same applies to the hosts, who should ask these questions with knowledge and sensitivity. Firstly, they need to educate themselves about sexual abuse and the psychological nature of victims. In most cases, victims are abused by people of power. This means that victims know their entire livelihood is at risk if they speak up. There are many studies that prove that rapists don’t choose victims based on their profession or the way they dress but based on vulnerability. They know vulnerable women won’t speak up. Victims often deny and try to minimize what happened to themselves. “Oh at least I didn’t get raped” or “there’s people who have encountered much worse” are often the type of consoling that a victim of sexual assault tells themselves. In Chinmayi’s case, that’s probably what she told herself and pretended nothing happened by inviting Vairamuthu to her wedding.

We grew up watching movies where the hero fights the perpetrator and offers the victim two choices — marry the rapist or stay silent. In both cases, the victim worships the hero and maintains her silence living with that scar forever. This portrayal has taught victims that somehow the attack was their fault and not exposing the perpetrator is the best way forward. In most of these scenes, there’s a dialogue by the hero to the victim that if she speaks out, then she won’t be able to get married and moreover her family’s honor will be tarnished. How will women learn to speak up if this is the sort of culture that they are surrounded by? Although I am from Canada and grew up here for the most part of my life, the cultural stigma around sexual assault exist within the Tamil diaspora as well. The mentality of women being the bearer of their ‘kartpu’ exists even here. It will likely take decades for this mentality to change even in western countries. The #MeToo movement that originated in Hollywood is proof that even the most successful actresses have to battle through the stigma and accusations to have their stories heard. This has given courage to women like Chinmayi to speak up. It gave her assurance that she’s not alone and by speaking out she can help prevent future victims and send a strong warning to other perpetrators. Celebrities like Varalakshmi (speak up more!) who has set up an organization that assists women of sexual abuse and Lakshmi Ramakrishnan who continuously speak about these issues should also be encouraged and supported.

To me the superstar of Tamil cinema in 2019 and beyond is Chinmyai — she's a true Singapenne. I follow her instagram account, and it’s empowering to see the effect she has on so many women. There are tons of stories of girls opening up about their abuse and seeking help. This is the type of change we need both in cinema and society. I was so thrilled to see that Vairamuthu is no longer part of the Maniratnam project. This will hopefully send a clear message for others to ban him and others like him. There is no denying that film stars are regarded as top influencers and in semi-god-like manner in Southern India. Societal change around rape culture is possible if the film industry comes together and speaks out against sexual predators in their field. Let’s listen and respect victim stories irrespective of the status of the perpetor or Chinmayi will be the last celebrity to speak up against powerful men.