Bigg Boss Tamil 7: Vichithra's candid account of sexual harassment that ended her acting career

Actor Vichithra recounted a traumatic experience that changed the course of her life during a task on the Bigg Boss Tamil season 7. The contestants were asked to talk about the turning points in their lives and Vichithra took the opportunity to shed light on the harrowing working conditions that jeopardized the safety and dignity of women in the film industry during the early stages of her career.

"I have not talked about it in a long time. I don't like to talk about it. But, I hope if I say it out loud, I might feel that I defeated my inner demon," said Vichithra, while requesting her fellow contestants to bear with her. 

Vichithra made her screen debut in the early 1990s with Aval Oru Vasantham. Later, she gained popularity for her roles in Thalaivasal, Thevar Magan, Amaravathi, and Muthu to name a few. Besides Tamil, she also acted in Telugu and Malayalam movies. 

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"I landed an opportunity to work in a Telugu film through a friend in 2000. The shooting was taking place in Malampuzha," she said but refrained from taking the names of the persons involved in the matter. 

She noted that she was invited to a party at the hotel where the cast and crew of the film were staying. "At the party, I met the hero of the movie. He didn't even ask my name. The first words he said to me were, 'You act in this film? I said yes. And he said, 'Come to my room.' I was shocked and I didn't know what to do. So I went back to my room, locked it and went to sleep," she recalled. 

Vichithra noted that she began to face several problems at the shooting spot after that indecent proposal. "I never faced such issues while shooting for Tamil films. I kept wondering what was happening. I wondered whether it was bad luck or something else," she said. 

However, things began to get more terrifying for her when she started facing more blatant forms of harassment. "After the pack-up, every day, (some) men used to get drunk and bang on my door. I still remember that. I was very worried as I didn't know how to handle it," she noted. 

Vichithra decided to brave these challenges and fulfil her commitment to the movie even though the harassment continued. And she fond some respite when the hotel's then general manager extended his support to her. 

"He (the general manager) came to know about my problems and helped me. Thanks to him and other hotel staff, every day I kept sleeping in different rooms. But, I could hear people knocking on the doors of the room, where I previously stayed," she said. 

Vichithra later went on to marry Shaji, the general manager who helped her during this ordeal. 

Vichithra alleged that while shooting for an action scene she was repeatedly groped by a man, who took advantage of the crowd. She managed to catch the man and took him to the stunt master. However, she didn't find the kind of support she expected from the crew. 

"He (the stunt master) freed the hands of that man from my hands and gave a big, tight slap across my face. I was stunned. Nobody came to my support on the set," she recalled. 

Vichithra immediately walked out of the sets with tears and called a friend for advice. She decided to press charges against the cast and crew of the film in question and explored all the channels within her limits. But, all her efforts were in vain because she didn't find any support from the film industry. 

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Vichithra also blamed the Nadigar Sangam and how the leaders of the union at the time didn't do much to help her get justice. 

Vichithra noted that the legal proceedings were more punishing and disheartening as the urgency and the seriousness of the case were diluted with each passing day. "Nobody came to my support (in the Tamil film industry). Maybe they thought I deserved it or not worth their effort. I don't know. I still remember the head of the union nonchalantly telling me to forget all this and focus on work," she revealed. 

Following this experience, Vichithra quit acting, prioritizing marriage and family. 

Vichithra, however, still regrets how that one film quashed her dreams and ambitions.