'Mixed explicit scenes in my movies; killed my son's acting career'; Actress TT Usha opens up

Malayalam actress TT Usha, who appeared in many films and television serials during the late 90s and 2000s, has responded to the criticism levelled against her. Usha said her strong stance, not fawning over any superstars, has resulted in a certain cabal ousting her actor son from the television industry.

In an interview on a YouTube channel, Usha talked about her entry into cinemas and the current controversy.

TT USHA:

"I got married at a young age and became a mother to two children even before my 20s. Tragedy struck me at the age of 18 when my husband died in an accident. From then on, life turned into a struggle, and I was not ready to succumb either. A welcome change happened when I started working at a beauty parlour in Chennai. A director who came to the parlour saw me and offered a screen test. There was no competition in the acting field like now, and thus, entry to the cinema came easily for me. There was no reason for me to snub the offer, considering the dire financial straits I was plunged into.

The films I made during the 90s are now being circulated with a clear intention of hurting me. I did nothing different from the actresses of that time. There was a trend during those times to include explicit scenes from Western pornographic movies in low-budget South industry cinemas. Sometimes, they would merge the female actors' bodies in editing as if to make the explicit scene look real. I was unaware of those shady things within the industry and thus fell into the trap.

A concerted effort has been ongoing to target me for several years, bringing those cinemas I did in the early 90s.

About son:

My son was getting busier with many roles in the television industry till a few years back. However, my no-nonsense approach in cinema committees and forums irked a few, so they totally uprooted my son from the industry. My son, thus, had to quit the industry and move to Ireland with his family, where he is now leading a happy life.