Following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report in August, several well-known Malayalam film industry figures have spoken out about discrimination and exploitation on film sets. In an exclusive chat with NDTV, actress Nithya Menen shared her perspective, stating she never felt “unsafe” on any film set. She explained, “I have never felt unsafe anywhere. Nobody is going to attack you. You are actually very protected in a film set because there are a lot of people around - a lot of women, a lot of men. When I started, there were hardly any women. There used to be one woman on set, which was your hairdresser. There was never anyone else. Today, it feels nice to see so many more women on a film set. (It) feels nicer.”
Nithya Menen continued, “Nobody is going to attack you. And you can decide how you want to be treated and you can make it very clear. It may not be received very well, but you can make it very. I don't know if I felt unsafe.”
Nithya Menen also shared her views on how she finds it challenging to separate people based on gender, religion, or any other factor. She said, “Nithya Menen also talked about how it is difficult for her to separate people on the basis of gender, religion, or any other way. She added, “I find it very difficult to see separation in gender, separation in anything like religion. I can't see separation like that. I just see people and I feel like, ‘What a terrible human being.' I never saw it. I didn't know that it was gender separation or anything. My mind didn't work like that. I was just dealing with people. I was telling them, ‘Listen, don't behave like this, not correct, or something.' I don't know if I felt unsafe with this.”
Nithya Menen will soon be seen in Idli Kadai alongside Dhanush, who is also directing the project. Speaking about her experience working with Dhanush, she shared, “He is a very familiar person. He is my friend. I think we are all people who don't stick to one role. We are very collaborative. We are people with multiple talents. We always contribute to everything. It's just a natural progression. I didn't see any separate versions of him but filming was fun.” Dhanush and Nithya Menen have previously shared screen space in the 2022 film Thiruchitrambalam.
In addition to Idli Kadai, Nithya Menen is also expected to appear in Kadhalikka Neramillai and Dear Exes.
