The Hema committee report slams Malayalam-language film industry

One of India’s most well-known film centers has suffered from serious perish as a result of a groundbreaking study into the issues faced by ladies in the Malayalam-language movie industry.

The results of the three-member section are fairly damning.

The 290-page report claims that the industry is dominated by” a gang of strong people” and that” sexual abuse of women is widespread” and that parts of those whose identities have been redacted have been kept secret.

The Hema committee, which was led by a former Kerala High Court judge and was established by the state government in 2017, details the terrible operating conditions on units, including the lack of food and water for the talented artists, poor pay, and no facilities for housing or transportation.

” There are no restrooms, so people have to go in the trees or behind thick branches. It states that having to hold blood for a long time while wearing sanitary napkins during their times causes physical pain and makes them ill, with some patients needing hospitalization.

After nearly five years of delay and numerous legal challenges from people of the movie industry, the document, which was submitted to the state in December 2019, was simply made public this year.

The screen was established following the horrifying sexual abuse of a leading performer in the movie industry. Bhavana Menon, who has appeared in more than 80 pictures in southwestern Indian languages and has won numerous prestigious awards, was attacked by a group of people on a trip from Thrissur to Kochi in February 2017.

Her rape made articles, especially after Dileep, one of the Malayalam-language video industry’s biggest stars and Menon’s co-star in half a dozen pictures, was named as an accused and charged with criminal crime. He denied the accusations, but he was detained and held in custody for three weeks before being released on bail. The situation is still being heard in court.

Indian law bars identification of survivors of sexual assault, but it was known from the start that it was Ms Menon who had been assaulted. In 2022, she waived her anonymity in a post on Instagram and in an interview to the BBC.

Ladies in Cinema Collective (WCC), a party formed by some of her colleagues in a film industry known for its range of powerful major and critically acclaimed films, petitioned the government a few months after the attack on Ms. Menon and demanded that the event be handled swiftly.

Retired Justice K Hema claims in the report that the WCC informed her that “women are being silenced because the prestige of the film industry needs to be upheld.”

The panel interviewed several dozen men and women, including artists, producers, directors, scriptwriters, cinematographers, hairstylists, makeup artists and costume designers, and “gathered evidence including video and audio clips and WhatsApp messages”.

The panellists saw evidence that” sexual harassment continues to be shockingly rampant” and that “it goes on unchecked and uncontrolled,” according to the report, which described sexual harassment as the “worst evil” women in cinema face.

The industry “is controlled by a group of male actors, producers, distributors, exhibitors and directors who have gained enormous fame and wealth” and they were among the perpetrators, it added.

Men in the industry make unwavering demands for sex as if it were their birthright. Women have little choice but to agree or disagree at the expense of their long-awaited dream of making cinema their career.

The experiences of many women are so shocking and significant that they have not even disclosed the details to their close relatives.

Many of the people the panel approached initially were reluctant to speak because they “feared they would lose their jobs.”

” In the beginning, we found their fear strange but as our study progressed we realised it was well-founded. Their safety and that of their close relatives worries us.

The report, the WCC says, has vindicated its stand”. We have been hearing for years that there is a systemic issue with the sector. One of the many examples is sexual harassment. This report proves it,” Beena Paul, an award-winning editor and one of the founding members of the WCC, told the BBC.

” We were always told that we were troublemakers]for raising such issues]. This report proves that it]the condition ] is far worse than what even we thought,” she said.

Members of the WCC claim that since they started demanding better working conditions on movie sets, they have had trouble getting work. People do n’t like the fact that we are asking questions. So, quite a few members have faced difficult situations,” Ms Paul says.

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists ( AMMA ), a prestigious industry body that includes stars like Mohanlal and Mamooty among its members, refuted the accusations. Siddique, the organization’s general secretary, refuted the claim that a small, powerful group was in charge of the industry.

He added that the industry’s prevalence of sexual harassment was undisputed, and that the majority of complaints were brought on by workers ‘ delays or unpaid wages. He claimed that the conditions for women on movie sets had improved in the previous five years and that they had access to all amenities.

The report has sparked a wave in the state in the week that followed its release, with activists and prominent opposition figures calling for justice for those accused of wrongdoing.

The government would respond if any woman testifying before the committee came forward with a complaint, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. No matter how big they are, they will be brought before the law, “he said.

A petition for public interest was filed in the Kerala High Court on Thursday, asking for the initiation of criminal charges against the suspects in the report.

The judges said they would decide whether criminal action was necessary after they had read the report and that the government had been ordered to submit a copy.

The# MeToo movement hit India’s most well-known film industry in 2018, after Tanushree Duta accused veteran actor Nana Patekar of acting inappropriately toward her on a movie set in 2008. There are no new allegations of harassment and abuse in movies. Patekar denied the allegations.

The Hema committee report was “ineffective,” according to Ms Dutta, who has since claimed that she has been denied employment.

Parvathy Thiruvothu, an award-winning actress and a key member of the WCC, however, told Asianet news channel that she considered the release of the report” a victory”.

” It’s opened up a door for big changes within the industry,” she said.

Jeo Baby, director of The Great Indian Kitchen, a critically-acclaimed film that examines the patriarchal structure within the family, told the BBC that while gender issues remain a concern, change is under way in the industry”. This is the ideal moment to make changes. The film industry has to fight this together.”

The report states that its inquiry and recommendations are not to fault anyone, but rather that they are” an earnest attempt to ennoble a profession so that it becomes a viable career option for aspiring artists and technicians, both male and female,” and that they have made several recommendations to make the industry a safe place for women.

” Hopefully filmmaking will become so safe that parents can send their daughters and sons to the field with the same confidence and sense of security as they send their kids to an engineering school or college,” it continues.

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