Lakshmi Manchu files complaint against journalist for 'misogynistic' comments
What's the story
Actor Lakshmi Manchu (47) has lodged a formal complaint against a senior journalist for allegedly making disparaging comments about her dressing style. The actor filed a complaint with the Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) after the journalist questioned her choice of clothing, implying it was inappropriate and unsuitable for a woman in her 40s and a mother.
Statement
Manchu highlighted the hypocrisy
In her written complaint to TFCC, Manchu highlighted the contrast between India's cultural reverence for women and the reality of workplace conduct. Cinemaexpress quoted her complaint, "India is a country that reveres women as Shakti, yet when we step into professional spaces, we are subjected to casual misogyny, humiliation, and disrespect." "This cannot continue. I owe it not only to myself but to many young women who look up to me to call this out."
Accountability
Actor demanded a public apology from the journalist
Manchu called for a public apology from the journalist, emphasizing that fundamental respect is non-negotiable. "Respect is not optional. Accountability is not negotiable." The actor also made it clear that she welcomes tough questions and public scrutiny as part of her career but draws the line at "cruelty masked as journalism."
Industry bias
Manchu also spoke about bias against divorced women in industry
During the promotion of her latest movie, Daksha: A Deadly Conspiracy, Manchu also spoke about the bias against divorced women in the film industry. In a recent interview with Great Andhra, she revealed that a superstar's ex-wife has been unofficially blacklisted despite being open to work. "There is a superstar's ex-wife who works here. She got divorced, and since then, even films that were once offered to her have been taken away."
Gender disparity
'No one gives us freedom...'
When the interviewer suggested she was referring to Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Manchu declined to confirm, adding, "You're thinking it's Samantha." "But there's not just one superstar; around five to six of them have been divorced." "If a man gets divorced, his life doesn't change. But for a woman, once she marries, has children... no one gives us freedom." "We have to take it ourselves." Manchu is currently promoting her latest thriller, Daksha: A Deadly Conspiracy, which released on Friday.