“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 the many young women who look up to me to call this out. Further addressing the interview where the offensive remarks were made. I will always be open to tough questions, to criticism, and to scrutiny as a public figure. But I will not tolerate cruelty masked as journalism," said Lakshmi Manchu in her complaint against a senior Tollywood cine journalist. She submitted her complaint to the Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) on Friday. Reports say that Lakshmi is thinking of dragging the journalist to the Telangana State Commission for Women as well.
By demanding an apology from the journalist for questions about her age, attire and looks, Lakshmi Manchu may have inadvertently saved all actresses from such questions/comments in the future. If she does manage to extract a public apology or get the journalist summoned by the Women's Commission, it will herald a notable change by virtue of being a high-profile incident involving a Tollywood media person. Interviews of actresses won't ever be the same again.
