Women won’t get freedom in the regime of Manu, Golwalkar followers: Indira Jaising
Mangaluru, Dec 17: “How could we expect that our women would get their rights in a country where the statue of Manu, who had harsh stands against women, was placed in the High Court and we have a prime minister who considered Golwalkar, who had conservative stand against women, as his Guru”, asked senior advocate Indira Jaising.
Speaking at a programme organized by the Mangaluru University College and University Evening College at Dr Shivaram Karanth Auditorium here on Monday, she said that the statue of Manu was placed in the Rajasthan High Court. Women there have been fighting against keeping the statue of Manu who was against the women and their freedom. But the statue was there itself. Interestingly, the women who have been fighting for removing the statue, were being targeted.
RSS man Golwalkar, in his book, had written that woman was meant to give birth to only male children. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister of the country has accepted such a person as his Guru. How would the rights of women being justified or protected, she asked.
Very recently, some pro-women developments have happened in the country not because of the governments, but because of the judiciary. Courts have given some important verdicts to protect the rights of women and giving them equal opportunities. But the concerned governments have not been implementing the court verdicts. It’s shocking development that some governments have been directing the police department not to execute the court orders, she added.
After 2012 Delhi gang rape incident which shook the entire country, Nirbhaya Funds was set up with a condition that the funds should be utilized only for harassment and exploitation against women. Unfortunately, a huge amount in that Fund was unutilized. Now, the present central government has introduced ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padavo’. But the statistics proved that nothing has been changed after that scheme. Amidst these, some government programmes have worked effectively, she said.
“We have fought against triple talaq. When the Supreme Court declares it as unconstitutional, the central government, without delay, tried to claim credit for it as if it has done it. Suddenly, it has passed a Bill to consider triple talaq as a crime.
Now, that Bill is pending in the Parliament. When the Supreme Court has declared it as unconstitutional, there was no need to declare it as a crime separately. Even then, the centre has done it.
But the same central government has not taken steps to implement the SC verdict on Sabarimala. Interestingly, the people from the same party have come to the street against implementing the SC verdict. So, women need liberation from such politics”, Indira Jaising said.
Terming the ‘MeToo’ campaign as a good development, Indira Jaising said that it has created a free environment for women to express themselves against atrocities on them.
As per a recent report, the number of murders and atrocities on women from their close relatives was more across the globe. In order to avoid this, woman should have the freedom of choice and financial freedom. She should not beg before her husband for her expenses. Then only, she would become independent in real sense, she opined.
“Because of that…”
Indira Jaising recalled some situations where she had argued in the Supreme Court to allow the women to enter Sabarimala. “The advocate, who have been arguing that women between 10 years and 50 years should not go to Sabarimala during menses time, was not ready to tell the word ‘menses’. He was just telling “Because of that…” very often. Later, I have asked “What is that”. Then also he did not speak out. Then I had to ask him ‘are you speaking about monthly period’”, she said.
Dr Srinivas Kakkilaya welcomed the gathering.
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JioHotstar to invest Rs 4,000 crore for South Indian content push; unveils 25-title slate
Chennai (PTI): Streaming service JioHotstar on Tuesday announced that it will invest Rs 4,000 crore over the next five years to strengthen South India’s creative economy, unveiling a 25-title slate as part of a major push for regional content.
In one of the biggest announcements by an Indian streaming platform for the southern markets, the company showcased its “South Unbound” vision at a high-profile event here.
Sushant Sreeram, Head – SVOD Business & Chief Marketing Officer at JioStar, said the investment forms part of a broader collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government.
“Earlier today, JioHotstar formalised a Letter of Intent with the Government of Tamil Nadu in the presence of the Chief Minister M K Stalin. This outlines a shared commitment to invest in talent, expand infrastructure and build a future-ready creative economy from the South.
"As part of this vision, JioHotstar will invest Rs 4,000 crore to nurture creators, strengthen the production ecosystem and build a pipeline of stories that are ready for India and ready for the world,” he said.
Calling South India the “heartbeat of Indian storytelling”, Sreeram said the investment signalled the platform’s long-term commitment to local creators.
"JioHotstar started as a dream — to build entertainment rooted in India’s storytelling heritage and powered by cutting-edge technology. The resplendent storytelling traditions of the South motivate us to keep championing authentic, rooted narratives while offering greater accessibility and choices for every viewer," he said.
The event was attended by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, veteran actor and MP Kamal Haasan, senior state officials, and leading stars and filmmakers from across the southern industries.
Deputy CM Stalin said the partnership will generate “1,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs”.
“Cinema in Tamil Nadu has always been a force for social change. OTT is not replacing cinema; it is expanding it. Today, a filmmaker in Madurai or Salem can upload a story and reach audiences across the world. The cultural and economic impact of this partnership will be massive," he added.
aasan said Indian media and entertainment was undergoing a fundamental transformation driven not by technology alone, but by the audience itself.
“We gather at a moment when India’s media and entertainment is not merely growing, it is transforming. For the first time, this shift is not driven by device or format, but by the audience itself,” he said, adding that storytelling today is “screen agnostic”.
“Regional is becoming the new national, and ethnic the new international. Stories born in Madurai, Malappuram or Machilipatnam are no longer regional cinema; they are national cultural events,” Haasan said, giving the example of movies such as “Kantara”, “Drishyam”, “Baahubali”, “Pushpa” and Tamil hits like “Vikram”.
The event was also attended by Mohanlal, Nagarjuna, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani, Aishwarya Rajesh and others -- along with directors Jeethu Joseph and Ahammed Khabeer
The streamer's ambitious content slate, unveiled as part of its “South Unbound” initiative, includes sequels to blockbuster franchises, new long-format shows, films, adaptations, and high-engagement reality formats.
The Tamil slate features a mix of returning favourites and new originals, led by "Bigg Boss Tamil", now hosted by Vijay Sethupathi, and "Good Wife S2", the legal drama starring Priyamani.
The lineup also includes "LBW – Love Beyond Wicket", a relationship drama; the family comedy "Cousins and Kalyanams"; the psychological drama "Resort"; and "Heartbeat S3", which brings back Anumol, Karthik Kumar and Deepa Balu.
Other Tamil offerings include "Lingam", an action-drama; "Love Always", a multigenerational love story; the marquee title "Kaattaan" starring Vijay Sethupathi and Milind Soman; and "Second Love", a non-fiction relationship series.
In Telugu, the platform returns with "Bigg Boss Telugu" hosted by Nagarjuna, alongside new originals such as "Moodu Lantharlu" starring Aishwarya Rajesh; the police procedural "Vikram on Duty"; "Varam", a mystical relationship drama; and the hit comedy-drama "Save The Tigers S3" with Chaitanya Krishna.
The slate further includes "Vishakha", the Telugu adaptation of "Aarya" led by Kajal Aggarwal; the relationship-based non-fiction format "Mad for Each Other"; and the Telugu debut of the iconic adventure franchise "Roadies".
From Malayalam, the platform brings back "Bigg Boss Malayalam" hosted by Mohanlal; "Kerala Crime Files S3" featuring Aju Varghese; the mystery drama "Secret Stories: Roslin"; "Anali", "1000 Babies S2" with Neena Gupta and Rahman; and the hard-hitting drama "Pharma" starring Nivin Pauly.
The Kannada lineup includes "Bigg Boss Kannada" hosted by Kichcha Sudeepa; "Batchmates", a nostalgic friendship drama; and the food-and-humour-based non-fiction series "Comedy Cooks".
Across languages, the platform also announced new films such as "Lucky The Superstar", featuring GV Prakash, Anaswara Rajan and Meghna Sumesh, and "Kenatha Kaanom", positioned as broad-appeal mainstream entertainers.
