“She would joke that she wanted her love letter to her favorite actor Kalidas Jayaram to become viral. Then Kalidas would read it, call her, meet her and click a selfie with her. But now her dimples are all over the media, alas she has become viral…,” wrote Arunima, a friend of Vismaya V Nair, the 22-year-old woman from Kollam, who was recently found dead in her husband's house.
Two years ago, at a love letter writing competition in her college on Valentines Day, Vismaya wrote a letter to actor Kalidas Jayaram and wanted her friend to post it online. “I posted it and when no one shared it, we laughed a lot about it,” Arunima wrote.
Arunima’s post was noticed by Kalidas who responded saying, “Dear Vismaya, The letter you wrote to me reached me only when you were lost to the people who love you. Sorry! For that voice that no one heard! For the dreams that burnt to ashes!”
Vismaya's death, and the allegations of dowry harassment and domestic violence, has sparked discussions and outrage on social media. Condemning the harassment she was subjected to, the actor wrote, “Deeply saddened and torn apart to know of Vismaya V Nair and the reasons that led to the devastating consequence. It’s absolutely unacceptable that despite the literacy rate and access to information and knowledge from all corners of the world, our people are still not becoming mindful of the severity of the crime dowry is and how nerve racking is abuse. Not all scars are always seen and not all wounds always bleed.”
The actor also questioned why people are forced to endure abusive behaviour and are never encouraged to walk out of abusive relationships. “Why is walking out of a toxic abusive space never welcomed and why is the societal stigma always imposed upon the ones going through it and why do we hesitate to embrace them? Why is it so hard for us as an evolved society to just accept how unethical and hideous it is to ask/ encourage/ stay silent to dowry as a custom and how heartless can we be to stay silent to abuse of any kind!,” Kalidas questioned.
Suggesting that these dialogues cannot merely exist on social media but also need to translate into stricter laws and better enforcement, Kalidas wrote, “Truly hoping that strict amendments are made to existing laws and there are necessary actions taken towards educating and empowering people. Let’s bring back our girls and let’s not reduce them to just another hashtag on social media.”
Other well-known personalities from the Malayalam entertainment industry including Karnan fame Rajisha Vijayan, Chakkappazham actor Ashwathy Sreekanth, Bigg Boss fame Shriyaas Kareem and Star Singer host and Mollywood actor Jewel Mary expressed their condolences and condemned dowry harassment.