Actor Varalaxmi Sarathkumar recently made her directorial debut with the film S Saraswathi, starring her, Prakash Raj, Priyamani and Rao Ramesh. The film is based on a story penned by writer Sai Madhav Burra. After the film’s release, he commented on how his story was ‘raped’, leading Varalaxmi to slam him at a press meet.
Sai Madhav Burra says his story was ‘raped’
In a Facebook post, Sai revealed that Varalaxmi changed the story he wrote for S Saraswathi. He wrote in Telugu, “It starts with my story and ends with another story. They changed it as they pleased without saying a word. They raped the story. Mine is not a revenge drama. My soul is different. The story itself is different.” While some sympathised with the writer, others criticised him for the usage of the word ‘rape’.
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar slams Sai Madhav Burra ‘insensitivity’
At a press meet in Hyderabad, Varalaxmi was asked about Sai’s social media comment. She began by making it clear that she respects the writer as he’s a senior, but explained why she believed the story needed to be changed. She also pointed out that the writer was too busy with ‘big films’ to give her any time to rework the story. Despite that, Varalaxmi says, she credited Sai as the writer.
She then spoke about his comment in particular and added, “To use the word rape on such a sensitive issue, that should not have come from a man like him. I’m sorry. It’s insensitive. And it’s extremely rude. You should know what word you’re using, especially given the topic you’ve touched on in the film. You should be careful about what words to use.” For the unversed, S Saraswathi tells the story of a mother searching for her missing 12-year-old daughter. The film was released in theatres on Friday.
On facing abuse growing up, making films about male survivors
Varalaxmi also spoke at the press conference about how she was abused by five men when she was a child. She stated that when she was growing up, it was taboo for parents to speak to children about good or bad touch. The actor also mentioned she only realised what happened to her was bad when she received sex education. “Talk about it, it’s only how you find out who the predators are,” she said.
The actor was also asked at the press conference why she made the film only about a female survivor and not a male one, who also face abuse. “Ask this question to male directors,” she hit back, adding, “Why do they only show action? Next time you meet a male director and actor, ask them the same questions.” Varalaxmi will soon star in Rizana – A Caged Bird.
