Sex worker-turned-author basks in glory of Kerala film award

 Noting that experience makes a person strong and bold, she said it was plenty of her experiences-whether good or bad, that made her capable to fight all odds and reach this stage of life.

It has been over 15 years since Nalini Jameela shocked the conventional mindsets of the society and upset the patriarchy by penning a path-breaking autobiography on her daring and frightful life as a sex worker.

Since then, she has been enjoying several identities in life raging from a best selling author and activist to gender expert and social relationship counsellor and now at the age of 69, she is a recipient of the prestigious Kerala State Film Awards. Jameela adjudged the special jury mention for costume-design in the movie “Bharathapuzha”, directed by Manilal, when the state government awards were announced here on Saturday.

For Jameela, it was yet another unexpected twist which the life had in store for her and she was bold enough to say that the lessons she had drawn from her early life as a sex worker was her base for any new achievement. “The state award was really unexpected…It was for the first time in my life that I did costume designing for a movie. I cherish this honour as one of the greatest achievements in my life,” Jameela told PTI.

Asked whether she would like to build a career in costume designing, she said she was not sure whether any mainstream film makers or production houses would give her an opportunity and if anything comes her way, she would definitely give it a shot. (Express photo by Janak Rathod)

Noting that experience makes a person strong and bold, she said it was plenty of her experiences-whether good or bad, that made her capable to fight all odds and reach this stage of life. “Bharathapuzha revolves around the story of Sugandhi, a sex worker in her mid thirties, hailing from central Kerala district of Thrissur.

Actress Siji Pradeep played the central character in the woman-centric film, which deals with several gender issues.
“While chosing costumes for the character, I actually saw myself in her… me as a sex worker during my young age. I never used costly sarees or ornaments in life and I do not even like to wear a bindi. I tried to reflect those characteristics in the heroine’s physical persona,” she said.

Jameela also said while designing outfits for the heroine and helping her with the mannerisms and body language of a young sex worker, the dreadful memories of the grim past came flooding back.

“I spent days with the film crew, especially the heroine, to provide all support they needed. There were scenes in the film which I could relate with that of my life…,” the activist explained. It was her long-drawn friendship with Manilal, the director, that brought her to the tinsel world.

When he had discussed the project with her, Jameela never imagined that she would be entrusted with costume designing. But, she made up her mind to take up the new challenge and managed to complete the work as per the expectations of the filmmaker. “I worked according to my own perspectives. But, the happiest part was that the director was convinced about what i was trying to say.. He had given me the liberty to follow my mind while designing and selecting costumes,” the elderly woman added.

A third standard drop out, Jameela was forced into prostitution at a very tender age following the death of her husband who had succumbed to cancer. While running from pillar to post to look after her family and raise her two daughters, she had no option but to take up sex work as a profession- which the conventional society viewed as immoral and unethical. The years-long life as a sex worker, police brutality, attack by goons and endless physical tortures inflicted by “clients”, has only given Jameela an added energy to fight the hardships and shatter the taboo attached to sex workers.

Before turning a sex worker and started loitering in bus terminus and railway stations soliciting ‘customers’, she had worked in brick kilns and domestic help to earn daily bread for her near ones. When she published the ‘Autobiography of a Sex Worker” in the year 2005 after retiring from sex work, it fast turned out to be one of the best sellers of Malayalam besides kicking up a widespread debate on the plight of the hapless community.

After the first book had been translated into several languages including English, she came up with another one “Romantic Encounters of a Sex Worker”, a memoir which revolves around the relationships she developed with the ‘clients’, in 2018. Besides being a member of several NGOs, she has also been working as a gender and social relationship counsellor and taking classes in colleges and universities on the subject.

Asked whether she would like to build a career in costume designing, she said she was not sure whether any mainstream film makers or production houses would give her an opportunity and if anything comes her way, she would definitely give it a shot.

She said the changed perspective and empathetic approach of the new generation towards sex workers and the LGBT people is a great solace for the community members. The 69-year-old woman also cherished a dream of bringing out the cinematic adaptation of her autobiography and setting up a care centre for elderly people. “Those who came from streets, worked in mud kilns and toiled in someone’s backyard as a domestic help will surely have a great strength and courage to fight the odds and shatter the taboos of this patriarchal society,” Jameela concluded.

(Source: Indian Express)

Tokyo joins world film festivals for 10-day YouTube event

As competition programmer for the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), Yoshi Yatabe has pretty much seen it all. But finding an email from Robert De Niro in his inbox still felt like a big deal.

“It was very difficult to neglect that email,” he says with a laugh.

It was mid-April when De Niro and his producing partner, Jane Rosenthal — co-founders of New York’s Tribeca Film Festival — contacted Yatabe with an intriguing proposition: Would TIFF be interested in joining an online event they were organizing?

They didn’t mention any other names at that point, but the resulting We Are One: A Global Film Festival, which will take place on YouTube from May 29, would turn out to feature contributions from many of the biggest festivals: Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Toronto.

“It’s kind of a historic event,” says Yatabe. “It’s the first time for all these festivals to gather in one place and do a festival together, so it’s very exciting.”

There are 21 festivals taking part, each providing its own program, from features and shorts to talks and musical performances. In addition to bringing comfort to cinephiles, the 10-day event aims to raise money for a variety of COVID-19 relief efforts.

Tokyo’s program includes director Masaaki Yuasa’s 2008 animated short, “Genius Party: Happy Machine,” and Akiko Ooku’s eccentric romantic comedy “Tremble All You Want,” which won the Audience Award at TIFF in 2017.

There will also be multiple shorts by festival regular Koji Fukada, including a new film, “The Yalta Conference Online,” which stages Oriza Hirata’s historical play “The Yalta Conference” over Zoom.

Yatabe says that putting the program together was a learning process.

“It was much more difficult than I’d expected to clear the film rights for an online festival, on YouTube,” he says. “When you do a festival, for example in Tokyo, you only have to clear the domestic rights — but here, I (had to do it) for the whole world.”

Festivals typically serve as a film’s coming-out party: a place to create positive buzz, secure distribution deals or build momentum ahead of awards season.

With COVID-19 forcing many festivals to take a year off or drastically reconfigure, Yatabe says, “The whole film industry is in a bit of a mess.”

Movies that were selected for this year’s Cannes, for instance, now face an uncertain fate: Do their producers take the films elsewhere, or sit tight until next year’s festival?

“They’re kind of like lost children,” Yatabe says. This may seem like an opportunity for TIFF to snag some prestige titles, and he reveals he’s already been contacted about potential submissions for films that have seen their original plans fall through.

“I don’t think I can say I hope that these kinds of films will come to us, because it’s kind of taking advantage of other festivals’ cancellations,” he says.

As for TIFF — due to start on Oct. 31 — Yatabe thinks there’s a “very high probability” that the festival will go ahead. He’s less confident about whether it will be able to invite its usual bevy of overseas filmmakers and industry folk, given that many travel restrictions could still be in place.

“The question is: Can we make an international program without having guests?” he says. “I think that’s a challenge.”

Toronto International Film Festival, which takes place a month earlier, has said it is considering a hybrid model this year, using a mixture of physical and online screenings. Yatabe says Tokyo may do something similar, and concedes that festivals should be doing more to embrace digital platforms.

After a couple of months of lockdown, he says, “Nobody can ignore the importance of online viewing. So I think that the physical festival and the online part of the festival should be compatible.”

Yatabe also sees a more long-term role for distribution models such as Temporary Cinema, where films are streamed online and proceeds are split equally between the distributor and exhibitor.

“I think that scheme could stay after theaters reopen,” he says, “so that people in remote areas can also have access to new films.”

Given that Yatabe professes to have spent most of his free time in cinemas before Japan’s state of emergency went into effect, you would think it was a struggle for him to go cold turkey over the past couple of months. Not so, apparently.

“In one month, I watched 25 Ingmar Bergman films,” he says. “I was not expecting to be able to do that until after retirement. I hope that theaters will open as soon as possible, but I’m not bored at all staying home.”

(Source: JT)

Only 11 per cent of TV viewers can name 15 female actors over 40 – because they never see them

 Women on screen still have a shelf life; men on screen have a whole life

In May 2018, after watching yet another drama premiere featuring a man in middle age in the leading role paired with a much younger partner, I started to look for the women my own age leading the shows we all watch.

I found many new shows featuring middle-aged men – This Time with Alan Partridge, Don’t Forget the Driver, Home, After Life and Semi-Detached – and returning shows with leading males such as Not Going Out and Car Share, I only found two shows led by women: Mum and Sally4Ever.

In frustration, I launched the Acting Your Age Campaign to challenge a status quo which dictates that women in acting appear expected to retire when they reach middle age, though male actors such as Daniel Craig and Tom Cruise find themselves cast in their biggest roles, James Bond and Ethan Hunt respectively, at the same age.

Charlize Theron has spoken up about ageism in the film industry ( Getty )

A female drama student beginning her training this year will see roughly half the career longevity of her male peers – not because of talent or ability, but just because of ageing. Her student fees incurred training for that career remain the same.

Despite being 51 per cent of the population being female, and women between the ages of 40 and 69 making up 12 million people living in the UK, representation in film and on TV remains paltry. At the BBC alone, men over the age of 45 outnumber women of the same age by three to one.

Women over the age of 50 at the BBC account 15 per cent of those seen on screen. That was the finding of an Ofcom/BBC review conducted in the autumn of 2018. Not for the first time, the BBC was reminded of its obligations as a national broadcaster and as laid out in the BBC Charter. Despite promises to change and learn after being found guilty of age discrimination in respect of the case of Miriam O’Reilly in 2011, the BBC has, not for the first time, decided to “go another way”. Yet middle-aged women’s licence fee remains the same.

But the BBC is not the only broadcaster or film company which enables and promotes gendered ageism. In the last 20 years of the Academy Awards, four times as many middle-aged men have won the prize for best leading actor, compared to women in middle age. For the Baftas, across the same timeframe, this figure is three to one. But when it comes to young women this figure is reversed.

The question is, why? I think the answer, after #MeToo and #TimesUp, is wearily depressing: men are valued for their talent and women for their perceived sexual currency.

Charlize Theron tells the tale of being seen by the makers of Wonder Woman only to discover that they were looking at her for the part of Gal Godot’s mother (though she was only nine years her senior), while Cameron Diaz announced this week that she is retiring from acting at 46 years old. These are just two examples of a female actor being treated as some kind of perverse elite athlete of sexuality projection. Women on screen still have a shelf life; men on screen have a whole life.

The most offensive aspect of this proscribed myth is that women in middle age don’t want to see ourselves onscreen. I’m calling time on that.

As part of my campaign, I carried out a survey of regular TV and film viewers. What I found was not surprising, but look how far it differs from what happens in reality.

Almost all (99 per cent) of respondents didn’t feel female actors should retire at 40, and 98 per cent of female respondents were happy to see women over the age of 40 on TV and in film. Again almost all (98 per cent) felt that young female actors should expect a career longevity determined by talent not age. A lower figure, but still a majority (61 per cent), felt that romantic partners in drama should be paired with actors of a similar age.

More than half (53 per cent) of respondents could identify more than 15 leading male actors over the age of 40; just 11 per cent could identify more than 15 leading female actors of the same age.

The patriarchal staple of the middle-aged man paired with the young woman has no place in an evolving society, and no place in our collective cultural life. If the creative arts want to depict truth, if they want to demonstrate a commitment to equal representation, and if they want to learn the lesson of the terrible cases of sexual exploitation that have occurred within their industry, they need to face the final taboo within the entertainment industry – everyday ageist sexism.

No woman’s career, in entertainment as in other industries, should be dictated by anything other than her capacity to do her job.

(Source: Independent)

Kangana becomes India’s highest paid actress, will take home Rs 24 crore for J Jayalalithaa biopic

Kangana Ranaut will become the highest paid female actor in Bollywood by a large margin with her upcoming film, the J Jayalalithaa biopic titled Thalaivi.

Actor Kangana Ranaut is on her way to become the highest paid female actor of India. She will reportedly be paid Rs 24 crore for playing former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa in an upcoming film based on the Tamil actor-politician’s life.

According to a source close to the project, “Kangana is being paid to the tune of Rs 24 crore for the bilingual project, which will be made in Hindi and Tamil. The makers are sure that her star power will help reach a pan-India audience. The producers have already signed a contract with her.” Titled Thalaivi in Tamil and Jaya in Hindi, the film will be directed by Vijay and written by KV Vijayendra Prasad.

The Rs 24 crore fee is an unprecedented figure for any female actor in the country. It is almost twice the amount that Deepika Padukone received for playing the lead character in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat. Deepika reportedly took home Rs 13 crore for the film while the film’s male leads, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor took home Rs 10 crore.

Reportedly, even Kareena Kapoor Khan is currently charging Rs 10 crore as her fees after the success of Veere Di Wedding. A report, published in Mid-Day in August 2018, quoted a source, “Though Veere was a four-girl project, the film’s opening and initial footfalls can be credited to Kareena’s stardom. It is only fair that she capitalise on her star power, which is why she has increased her fee for the next few films. She apparently charged a ballpark figure of Rs 7 crore for Veere Di Wedding. Her upcoming films will have her quoting Rs 10 crore-plus, negotiable depending on the number of days she is required to work on the project and the value she is bringing to the table.”

Kangana Ranaut along with media celebrates her 32 birthday at her residence in Mumbai.(AFP)

The same report said Priyanka Chopra signed Salman Khan’s Bharat for Rs 6.5 crore (a film which she quit later) and Kangana was asking for Rs 11 crore as her fees earlier but slashed it for Simran and Rangoon.

Talking about the Jayalalithaa biopic, Kangana told the media on her birthday that she always wanted to work in regional films. “I always wanted to work in regional films because when we go to Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh, we realise that people over there only watch films made by their local film industry. So there is a disconnect with that part of the country. I was waiting for a good opportunity to work over there and this film just came my way.

“I was working on my own biopic, but her (Jayalalithaa) story is very similar to my story. In fact, it is a bigger success story than mine. When I heard the narration of this film, I found many similarities between both the stories. So when I had the option to do a film based on her story or my story, I decided on the former.”

On whether she will learn Tamil for the film, she said: “Yes...Unless I fail miserably and they (the makers of the film) have to look for an option for my dubbing. But I will definitely learn the language.”

(Source: HT)

Egyptian actor charged with public obscenity after wearing 'revealing' dress

Actor Rania Youssef was charged with public obscenity after wearing 'revealing' dress at film festival. Star faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

An Egyptian actor could face up to five years in prison if found guilty of public obscenity for wearing a see-through dress that revealed her legs.

Rania Youssef, an actor and model known for her roles in Egyptian films and television shows, attended the closing ceremony of a film festival in Cairo wearing the black dress, which had a gauze skirt.

Her appearance at the event on Thursday caused instant debate on social media.

Users were divided, with some subjecting Ms Youssef to abuse, and others defending her right to wear the dress.

Following the uproar, a group of lawyers complained to Egypt’s chief prosecutor about her appearance and she was subsequently charged with public obscenity. 

“I would like to apologise again, as an actress with good and positive credit with my fans,” the 44-year-old said, in a statement posted on Twitter.

“I hope everyone can understand that I had good intentions and did not wish to anger anyone.”

She added she had not expected her outfit to cause so much anger.

Ms Youssef’s trial will begin on 12 January 2019 and if convicted she faces up to five years in prison.

Some 100 million people live in Egypt, the majority of whom are Muslim. While the country has retained some aspects of secularism, the nation has also experienced decades of growing religious conservatism.

Fundamentalism also continues to influence the state, five years after Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist president, was ousted by the military following mass protests against his rule.

Ms Youssef is the latest public figure to face obscenity charges in Egypt.

In 2017 Shyma, an Egyptian pop singer whose real name is Shaimaa Ahmed, was sentenced to two years in prison for “inciting debauchery”, after she posted a suggestive music video online.

Shakira and Bardis, two bellydancers, were also jailed for six months in 2015 for inciting debauchery and immorality in their music videos.

(Source: The Independent)

Actor Bhavana weds producer Naveen in Thrissur

Malayalam actor Bhavana got married to Kannada producer Naveen on Monday morning.

Malayalam actor Bhavana got married to Kannada producer Naveen on Monday. The wedding took place at the Thiruvambadi temple in Thrissur and was attended by close friends and family. The ceremony will be followed by a lunch and reception.

While the lunch reception is organised at Jawaharlal Convention Centre to be attended by family and friends including actors like Ramya Nambeesan and Manju Warrier, another reception will take place at Lulu International Convention Centre later in the evening, for people from the film industry.

The radiant bride was dressed in a golden saree with tasteful temple jewelry. She wore her hair in a bun decorated with jasmine flowers but the best accessory was undoubtedly her bright smile which has won over fans for years now.

Naveen was dressed in a white traditional veshti.

Bhavana spoke to the media briefly outside the Jawaharlal Convention Centre where stars like Manju Warrier are expected to be present. The media was not allowed into the auditorium.

On Sunday, the teaser of Bhavana's mehendi ceremony with her girl pals had created quite a buzz on social media. Actors Remya Nambeesan and Mrudala as well as singer Sayonara Philip were part of the event.

From the pictures, it looks like the women had a blast. Bhavana could be seen cracking up and sporting sunglasses in some of the shots taken by Malayalam industry's ace photographer Mahadevan Thampi.

Bhavana and Naveen got engaged in a private ceremony in March last year. The ceremony was conducted in Bhavana's house in Thrissur and was attended by only close friends and family.

(Source: TNM)