Nimisha Sajayan is one of Kerala's finest actors. (You would have seen her in The Great Indian Kitchen). But there's a problem. Her face is not good enough to be eaten. You may wonder if this repulsive comment was made by Hannibal the cannibal, but you are wrong. It comes from a Malayali man, among the many misogynists who routinely troll Nimisha for not being "heroine material". YouTuber Gayathri, known for her Malayalam roasting videos, took it upon herself to address this grave concern about Nimisha and her looks.
The video begins with the Facebook comment that inspired the discussion. "A heroine's smile should be something that makes us want to bite and eat it," a male user posted on Nimisha's social media page. Not to disappoint this entitled man, Gayathri shows us a 'heroine' who would satisfy his conditions. A plate of salad arranged in the form of a face – the kind of smile you CAN eat. Gayathri also talks about the unsolicited advice that Nimisha gets to take up sister or friend roles since she doesn't look like the stereotypical fair skinned, ultra slim leading ladies we see on the big screen or even in magazine illustrations. Needless to say, men in cinema hardly ever get judged based on their appearance, particularly after they have proved themselves to be good actors. Let's not forget that men who are in their sixties and even seventies are still acting with 20 somethings across industries.
After her trademark sarcasm, asking casting directors to take note of this “sahodaran's” (brother's) comment, Gayathri spells out the problem – “my salute to you for the ignorance you show in posting such comments filled with sexual violence and perversion." Gayathri also points out that our notions of beauty come from caste and class bias, referring to the story of PK Rosy, the first woman actor in Malayalam cinema, who was hounded because she was a woman and of a Dalit caste. But, Gayathri adds, we can't say we have progressed a lot compared to those days. Even now, the image acceptable of a woman actor is someone who has 'eye candy' qualifications.
Slamming people who show their 'magnanimity' in 'accepting' brown-skinned actors like Navya Nair and using that as a justification for abusing Nimisha freely, Gayathri says that they probably don't have the mental capacity to fathom their own ignorance (we agree). She also uses YouTube channel Girliyapa's 'Unfair & Lovely' video to show how dark-skinned women are often cast as villain characters.
"What should you do when a person overcomes all these unfair circumstances and becomes successful? You should use the same reasons to pull them down," Gayathri says with a sarcastic smile on her face.
She shows a number of derogatory comments which regularly appear on Facebook every time a new film of Nimisha's is released. Her latest is Malik, opposite Fahadh Faasil. Pointing out one comment that says her face is always sweaty, Gayathri humorously asks Nimisha to use a hand-fan whether the camera is on or not.
Gayathri also clearly differentiates between a person's right to criticise an actor based on their performance and making derogatory remarks based on their looks, when it becomes a personal attack. While she agrees that people can have different ideas about beauty, it is problematic to belittle someone just because their appearance does not match society's prevalent standards of beauty. Songs and comedy shows also add to this social conditioning, and yes, it is racist, she underlines.
After making her highly-appreciated debut in Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, Nimisha has proved herself through a number of performances, bagging a State Award as well. Gayathri points out, "Nimisha's success has become an inspiration for many young women because, looks-wise, the actor represents an unrepresented majority of women in Kerala." Hear, hear!
