When I felt I should get married, my daughter, mother, relatives and friends sat together and we came up with this decision. My 'koottukaari' (friend) is someone who's been gossiped about a lot, because of me. So I thought if I got married to somebody else, it just wouldn't be right (laughs). Hence, this decision...'If anyone missed the latent, and appalling sexism in what Dileep said while announcing his marriage to Kavya Madhavan , then this statement he made at the media interaction post the thaalikettu, made it loud and clear:Clearly, this wedding was all about Dileep, the larger-than- life hero, playing saviour to a poor scapegoat, who'd otherwise not have a chance in life! That wasn't all. The docile-looking Kavya, seemed to nod meekly to everything Dileep ettan said, and even looked at him for approval whenever questions were posed to her. Ironically, this is the same woman who had essayed some strong female characters in Malayalam cinema in the last decade, in Perumazhakkalam and Gaddama. When Kavya did open her mouth to speak, all she managed to say was: 'Both of us need your blessings for a good life ahead...' But Dileep cut her short, and corrected her, saying, 'not just the two of us, but four of us...' The other two being his daughter and his mother. Wondering why Kavya's parents don't feature in this equation? Well, we too are! But considering he never even took her name ' choosing to refer to her as 'koottukaari' and 'baliyadu' ' it's not such a surprise after all.It's sad that a man has the privilege to accept or reject a woman. The choice is never with her. That is why evils like triple talaq still prevail even in the 21st century. I am not against divorce or the freedom of the individuals to separate. I felt Dileep could have taken a better stand. When he tried to justify himself in front of the public, he indirectly proved that his intentions were never right and it was too obvious. And here the individual, Kavya has no role but be like a stereotypical movie heroine with no importance in the movie. Dileep describing Kavya a scapegoat reflects his lack of conviction. But our society tends to glorify such justifications and the men behind these fake masks will keep dominating the women.' Jolly ChirayathuArtist & human right activistWhat more should we expect from Dileep? He has shown his patriarchal attitude in his films and it is the male-dominated society that made those films successful and hailed him as the 'people's hero'. So post-marriage he gave his justification to that society just like in his films. But I am more disturbed by Kavya who accepted his marriage proposal. She is not a village belle but an actress who has been in the mainstream since childhood. I wonder how she could agree with such beliefs. I have no opinion about Dileep but I expected more from a woman like Kavya. Dileep is just a prototype of misogyny which is always celebrated in Kerala society.' Gargi, writerPeople growing apart, deciding to part ways and also finding another partner aren't a crime, and I don't think anybody should be apologetic about it. Gossips too are a part of the society we live in. But I don't think it should be a reason 'to get married to someone.'What I saw on Friday was the helplessness of a man who had to convince society about his deeds.I believe that Dileep and Kavya decided to marry because they love each other but I pity a society which put him in a situation where he could not openly admit it.' Kani Kusruti, Model-actressAll kinds of rumours have been doing the rounds, made by imaginative minds, one of them being that Manju Warrier has attempted to take her life. We spoke to a source close to the actress and she pooh-poohs all such rumours, while clarifying that Manju doesn't want to give a statement as yet.