Hema committee report: Sex abuse allegations rock Kerala film industry

Allegations. Sackings. Authorities problems.

Since last week, these phrases have been dominating news and shook up a buzzing movie industry in Kerala, southern India.

The state has been witnessing a flurry of sexual abuse allegations against some top male stars since a landmark report that looked into problems faced by women in the industry was released last week.

The industry, which makes around 150-200 Malayalam-language films a year, is a vital, vibrant business that has made some of the most critically acclaimed and progressive cinema emerging from India.

However, the 290-page report by a three-member panel called the Hema committee detailed the issues that women face in Malayalam cinema, including frequent sexual harassment and precarious working conditions. To conceal the identities of the survivors and those who are accused of harassment, redact portions of the report.

A number of women have spoken out in public about facing sexual assault and harassment in the industry since its release, some of whom have since given up acting.

More than a dozen police complaints have been filed against some male stars, two of whom have also filed counter-complaints.

The shake-up has been so huge that the entire top governing body of the state’s biggest film group- the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists ( AMMA )- was dissolved after its president, superstar Mohanlal, resigned on “moral grounds” after some members faced accusations.

” This is just the tip of the iceberg. Only a select few have so far spoken. More serious issues may emerge,’ ‘ actor Mala Parvathy told BBC Hindi.

The reactions to the first-of-its-kind report are being closely watched by people in India’s many film industries, including Bollywood. During the# MeToo movement, several women in various states had made allegations of sexual harassment against actors and filmmakers, but few of these cases have been investigated.

The government set up the Hema committee, headed by a former judge of the Kerala High Court, in 2017 in the aftermath of the shocking sexual assault on a leading actress. One of Kerala’s biggest actors, Dileep, was named by police as an accused and charged with criminal conspiracy. He has denied the charges, but was arrested and held in custody for three months before being released on bail. The case is still being heard in court.

Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra, who accused well-known director Ranjith of sexual harassment against her a few years after the release of the report, made the first public claim. He has refuted this, but he has quit as the head of the state’s elite motion picture school. Mitra has filed a police complaint.

Many of the other complaints echoe some of the assertions made by unnamed women in the Hema committee report that they were repeatedly asked to” compromise” and “adjust” in exchange for opportunities.

An actor had hugged and kissed her without her consent while they were filming, according to Minu Muneer, who also confirmed this to BBC Hindi and a number of other news outlets. She has also provided details on sexual misconduct committed by other professionals in the field, including Mukesh, a well-known actor and politician.

Mukesh has refuted the allegations made against him and accused Muneer of trying to blackmail him.

In a Facebook post, he wrote,” I welcome any investigation into allegations made against me and others in the film industry.

Two actresses have accused a director of knocking on their hotel room doors in the middle of the night. He has not responded to the allegation.

One actress alleged Siddique, a well-known actor, of raping her in 2016 and contacted the police. Siddique, who resigned as AMMA general secretary after the accusation, has denied this and accused the complainant of trying to” tarnish his reputation”.

The Kerala government was praised for starting a committee, but the report’s release also put it in the backseat.

After nearly five years of delay and numerous legal challenges brought by members of the film industry, the report, which was submitted in 2019, was only released last week. The government then declared that while it would investigate all complaints to the police, it would not independently handle any cases. But as pressure mounted, it has set up a special team to investigate complaints.

The government has also requested that the Kerala High Court give the government the complete report, including the 54 redacted pages.

Within the Malayalam film industry, reactions to the report have been mixed. Superstars have been accused of making a public statement by celebrities like Mohanlal and Mammotty.

Some actors praised the report’s release and demanded that the government launch a thorough investigation into the allegations. The government has been requested to reveal the names of the accused in the report by a prominent film employees ‘ federation.

Others have expressed regret that the report is being used to portray every man in the industry as a liar.

However, many people also argued that the report and the subsequent shake-up are necessary, positive, and necessary adjustments in a sector that is frequently praised for producing progressive movies.

” I am not ok with people saying,’ Malayalam industry is so rotten inside’. No, we are good inside, which is why we are fixing it, “actress Parvathy Thiruvothu, a founding member of the Women in Cinema Collective, an organisation formed in the aftermath of the 2017 assault, told a news channel.

It was the industries” you do n’t hear anything about” that people should be” worried about”, she added.

Meryl Sebastian provided additional reporting in Delhi.