I am finally free: Chinmayi

Art vs Artist debate

Lovers of art sometimes confront an uncomfortable question. Should they separate the art from the artist? More often than not, we hear the view that they should.

The West has made some tough decisions with Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C K, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, Morgan Freeman, Roman Polanski and other big names, making it easier for us to denounce them. But what about sexual offenders closer home?

Rotten Apples (therottenappl.es) is a site that flags films involving people facing allegations of sexual harassment. I typed in some of the movies I liked, and saw the results. As problematic as ‘Friends’ is, I heaved a sigh of relief that ‘Friends Reunion’ did not hire an alleged abuser.

Here in India, an Instagram page with less than 2,000 followers has documented many names in India’s #MeToo movement and beyond. The offenders, however, remain scot-free.

I identified my molester in 2018 and paid the price by facing a film Industry ban in Chennai. Ever since, I have come to know that scores of women have had their dreams destroyed and buried by their molesters, who went on to establish themselves as ‘reputed, respected, talented’ artists.

In fact, the men have grown their fans, sold tickets, lined their pockets, and made friends with the establishment, all the while blocking the paths of their survivors. They have systematically used their celebrity, and the adoration of their art, to cover up their acts of violence. When exposed, they have used these very tools to present themselves as victims.

In the 1990s, singer Alisha Chinai filed a case of sexual harassment against composer Anu Mallik. He responded with a defamation suit demanding Rs 2 crore as compensation. Alisha stood up to him alone and won the case, but Anu Mallik continued to be hired and celebrated all through the ‘90s and into the noughties.

All his misdemeanours were forgotten, until the #MeToo movement gave voice to more survivors. Many had been abused well after he apologised to Alisha in the wake of her legal victory. He hadn’t changed his predatory ways at all.

As a film buff, I find myself incapable of being entertained by an artiste facing charges of sexual abuse. By the time a survivor gets justice in this country, the survivor is broken. While she waits to have her story heard, the accused goes on to establish a massive body of work worthy of acclaim.

As Hannah Gadsby says in the film ‘Nanette’, “We’re obsessed. We think reputation is more important than anything else, including humanity, and do you know who takes the mantle of this myopic adulation of reputation? Celebrities… and we don’t seem to mind as long as they get to hold on to their reputation.”

Should a molester’s reputation come at the cost of a survivor’s dignity?

Weinstein used the film Frida to sexually harass and exploit Salma Hayek. Must one not watch the film, given that she suffered terribly to get this film?

I would watch it for Hayek’s brilliant performance, and for the hard work of the crew which deserves to have its work seen. But at the same time, I would expect people not to hire a Weinstein again. I would expect them to protect another Hayek from being harassed. Fortunately, we don’t have to make this decision in Weinstein’s case, as he has been convicted and jailed. Offenders in India continue to be hired without the slightest censure or pressure to change their ways.

How do we separate the art from the one that created it? These are questions each of us must answer for ourselves. As for me, some of my own biggest film hits have lyrics by my molester. I am glad I am no longer forced to celebrate him and his ‘greatness.’ I am finally free.

(The author is a playback singer and voice actor)

The award that wasn't

The ONV Cultural Academy's decision to pick poet, lyricist and writer Vairamuthu for its third lifetime literary award, triggered a controversy last week.

The academy is named after O N V Kurup, a stalwart of Malayalam literature.

People from the film industry like singer Chinmayi Sripada, actor Parvathy Thiruvothu and filmmaker Anjali Menon slammed the academy for choosing a man facing sexual harassment charges.

Chinmayi had named Vairamuthu during the #MeToo movement in 2018. Several women then came out and said he had also sexually assaulted them. He now faces 17 such cases.

In the wake of widespread protests, the academy decided to review its decision. Before the academy could take a call, Vairamuthu returned the award saying people with personal grudges were protesting against him. He has denied all allegations and said he would fight them in court.

Singer of hit songs

Chinmayi has sung several popular songs in Tamil and Hindi. She shot to fame with ‘Oru deivam thanda poove,’ which she recorded for the Mani Ratnam film ‘Kannathil Muthamittal.’ ‘Mayya mayya,’ which she sang for ‘Guru’, is among her most widely acclaimed songs. She has sung in such box office hits as 'Sivaji', 'Ayan' and '96' and under the baton of A R Rahman, Harris Jayaraj and Govind Vasantha. She has sung many famous Telugu songs as well.