Over the past week, women journalists from English media have been calling out on sexual harassment like never before, but the silence from women in regional media proves obscenity is far more deep rooted. Nobody wants to discuss the elephant in the room of how the journalists from regional media have to endure lot more.
Why is the #metoo movement confined to English media? Are women journalists of regional media in safe hands? Women shared that they had to wear dupatta when going to meet a politician or a leader. What happens to women in regional media, when they meet up with actors in Tollywood where there have been numerous instances of sexual harassment. While Sri Reddy led the movement of bringing out the deep-rooted cases of harassment in Tollywood, it is not confined to aspiring actors but expanded its wings to journalists. A journalist speaks to Telugu360 on the ordeal she had to endure, because of an actor.
Here is what she wrote to us –
I am writing about an actor who is better known as the husband of a famous Telugu only singer – This was in 2015 when I had approached him for some story that I was working on and in the next two days it was filed, published and I thought I was done with him. But I got a message from him in the middle of the night at 2am one day saying “Hi sup”. I found it really weird but texted him nevertheless the next morning and asked what it was that he needed. He responded saying he was “just thinking” of me ever since he heard “my voice”. From then on I made an effort to keep away from the guy even though he texted often. I stopped changing my profile pictures too because he would text whenever I changed it. He was married by this time and so I once decided to just remind him about it and he replied, “If you can keep a secret, I can keep a secret.”
I stated clearly to him at one point that “I am not interested”, hoping that would make him go away. But almost over 2 months of the insistence, I decided to put an end to this consistent torture because I was feeling guilty that I was probably egging him on to send me all these messages most of which were various proposals to meet. One line was, “I have always fantasized being with a daring journalist like you.”
But I never blocked him and was never even rude to him because I was worried I might need him for a story in the future and he may not talk to me then. It seems silly at this point but I did think that then.
I never responded to him eventually and within 4 months it was over and that was the best way to end it. I eventually did get an occasional “hi I am doing so and so film” as messages from him but even then his name on the phone does make my spine chill because I go back to the times he used words like… “baby”, “babe”, “papa” all paired with some form of invitation to join him at some place.
Conclusion :
This cannot be rubbed off merely as a text message which she could have blocked. The actor’s thought of taking a shot, trying his luck out, despite being married in itself is heinous. It is with great difficult that women enter into this male dominated field and this intrusion into private space is difficult for men to understand. While this incident is just tip of the iceberg, the journalist couldn’t avoid but run into the actor frequently at interviews. When she ran into the harasser, the actor behaved like stranger with no guilt or shame of intruding privacy of journalist.
Editor’s Note : If any one else want to share their experiences anonymously, please send an email to us with proofs. Reach us at krishna@telugu360.com ; Even though the said journalist in this article wanted to remain anonymous, Telugu360 has independently verified her identity.
