With a string of movies about long-suffering women — including his new romantic thriller, “A Fall From Grace” — Tyler Perry could be seen as exploitative in the name of box-office success.

But the director told us that’s not how it is.

At the premiere of “Grace,” Perry said his exploration of women’s pain is a reflection of his mother being abused by his father. “I’m always trying to send a message that you don’t have to deal with this s–t.”

He added, “It’s not about making money off of a woman’s pain — it is about telling a story. And I wish that people, especially black women, would get off the fact of saying, ‘Oh, he’s making money off of black women.’”

Mariah Carey, Gayle King and Valerie Simpson were also there.