Malayalam actress Guri Kishan, known for her roles in films like 96Master, and Anugrahitan Anthony, recently showed why setting clear boundaries in public spaces matters. During a press event for her upcoming film Othersthe vlogger asked her about her body, not her acting. He pointed out her weight and implied that she needed to explain how she looked on screen.
Many women in the film industry face such comments and often let them go because people treat them as normal. But Guri did not miss it. She stopped the question and turned her attention back to what really mattered, which was her performance and her work.
When the conversation went wrong
At a press meet in Chennai for her film Othersactor Guri Kishan had a moment of disrespect. Instead of asking her about her work, the vlogger decided to talk about her body. The worst part is that he didn’t even ask her the question. He asked her co-star Aditya Madhavan if it was difficult to lift her for the scene because of her weight. The focus shifted from acting to looks, and it seemed unfair and unnecessary.
At that moment, the room fell silent. Guri, being in shock, did not immediately react to what happened. There was complete silence on the part of her colleague and the director. Later, when the video surfaced online, the moment of silence was celebrated and criticized. Many felt that no one interfered or objected to the question.
The situation continued. During another interaction with the media, the same vlogger justified his question and raised his voice. This time Guri spoke. She wondered why her weight mattered at a film event and why even in professional fields women were still judged by their bodies. She said that her work deserves attention, not her body.
The clip with her answer went viral. Many people came to support her and praised her for standing up for herself. Others questioned the silence of the men on stage. After the backlash, Aditya Madhavan said he froze in the moment because it was his debut promotion, later apologized and said Guri did not deserve such treatment.
Gauri has done an amazing job. The moment you ask a disrespectful and unnecessary question, there is a lot of shouting.
So proud of the fact that someone so young stood up for himself and pushed back.No actor is asked how much he weighs. I don’t know why they asked a woman… pic.twitter.com/BtKO6U7lpQ
— Chinmayi Sripada (@Chinmayi) November 6, 2025
The incident sparked a huge debate: it showed that women in film are still forced to defend their bodies before they can talk about their craft. Now the talk is about respect, gender and how public spaces can fail women when they need support the most.
Why is this important other than one event
There is nothing surprising in what happened. It seems familiar, almost tired. Women in Indian cinema have faced comments about their bodies for decades. The only new thing is that now more of them refuse to ignore it.
Gauri Kishan’s moment on stage did not shock the industry. This exposed a habit that everyone already knows. Women are judged on their bodies before anyone talks about their work. Men rarely face this. They can change their weight, age on screen and try a new look without having to justify anything. Women are expected to be gentle and silent.
The pattern is long. Nadia Balan was bullied early in her career, even when she was performing at the highest level. Sonakshi Sinha continues to face constant comments about her body online.
Anushka Shetty has hit back at harsh jokes after gaining weight due to health issues despite starring in one of the biggest films of recent years.
In Kerala, Parvathy Thiruvottu continues to be trolled for not meeting the beauty standards despite being one of the most respected actors working today.
So when Guri said enough, she didn’t do something dramatic. She was doing something late.
The industry is slowly changing. Women speak more freely. In Kerala, the Women in Film collective pushed for real mechanisms for safety and dignity at work, leading to the Supreme Court in 2023 reminding Malayalam film bodies to set up internal grievance redressal committees.
Across India, actors like Sai Pallavi, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nithya Menen are outspoken about respect and free will. The old model, when women were quiet and grateful, is losing ground.
Still, moments like these show the disconnect between politics and culture. The press conference should be about the movie. This should never be a stage for commenting on a woman’s body. The camera and microphone do not give the right to disrespect. Media freedom is important, but so is basic dignity.
There’s also the tired excuse that celebrities “signed up for it.” They did not sign up for humiliation. There is a difference between discussion and reduction to the body on display. People can discuss movies. They cannot treat someone’s body as content.
Guri did what many women are starting to do. She refused to take it quietly. She insisted that her work was more important than anyone else’s idea of what it should look like. One moment won’t fix the industry. But every time a woman in a movie theater refuses to absorb this behavior in silence, the old rules are broken even more.
The views expressed by the author are their own.
