Kannada actor Sapthami Gowda has raised concerns over the way female actors are photographed at public events. In an Instagram Story, she criticised photographers for taking pictures and videos from inappropriate angles and zooming in on certain parts of the body.
In her statement, she wrote, “Repeatedly, videos and photographs of female actors at public events are shot and circulated from inappropriate angles, with unnecessary zooms that focus on our bodies rather than our work.” She added, “This is disrespectful and unacceptable.”
Gowda further stated, “We are here for our craft. We are here for our cinema.” Calling the practice a violation of dignity, she wrote, “Such actions are clear violations of dignity and must not be normalised or tolerated.” She also said, “We expect basic respect and decency from professionals covering these events.” Concluding her note, she wrote, “We stand united in setting this boundary,” and added that she stood “in solidarity with every woman who has experienced this.” She shared the message with the hashtag “actors not objects.”
Following her post, actors Rukmini Vasanth and Divya Spandana extended their support on social media. Sharing similar messages, they wrote, “As women in the film industry, we stand together in addressing a recurring issue.” They added, “We unequivocally condemn deliberate zoom-ins and inappropriate angles,” and stated that such behaviour was “disrespectful and unacceptable.”
Their statement further read, “We will not normalise or tolerate this,” and reiterated, “We are here for our craft. We are here for our cinema.” They concluded by saying, “We stand united in setting this boundary.”
The statements have drawn attention within the film industry regarding concerns over how female actors are photographed and filmed at public events.
– Magizh
