Responding to allegations of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry, actor-writer Renji Panicker said the accused should be treated as innocent until the investigation concludes. He said that the accused cannot be banned or excluded from the industry until the investigation confirms their crime.
Following the publication of the Hema Committee report, allegations against actors Siddique and Mukesh have resurfaced again. Recently, filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan quit as the chairman of Kerala Chalachitra Academy following the sexual harassment allegation by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mtira. The Hema Committee report revealed systemic abuse and sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry.
Addressing the media on Sunday, August 25, Renji Panicker said such a practice of banning does not exist in a civilised society and no one can stake claim to moral values.
“I represent an association [FEFKA]. We resolve, or try to resolve, all complaints that we get. My opinion here is not valid. Legal action should be taken into consideration by the state government considering the nuances. If there is truth behind these allegations, it will attract punishment. You cannot impose a ban on a person’s creative activities, such as poems, stories and movies. You can boycott, but cannot ban. What should they do? Leave the country? They are living in this society and will continue to do so,” he said, adding that the law will take its own course.
Strangely, Film Employees Federation of Kerala [FEFKA], in which Renji Panicker is a member and has been the president once, had banned actors Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi for alleged misconduct.
Renji Panicker also said that he does not feel that director Ranjith resigned from Kerala Chalachitra Academy Chairman due to pressure but did so based on his sensibilities.
On August 23, Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused Ranjith of misbehaving with her during the audition of the 2009 Malayalam film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha. The film directed by Ranjith, featured Mammootty, Shwetha Menon, and Mythili, in the lead roles.
Senior Malayalam actor Siddique, on Sunday, August 25, quit his post as general secretary of AMMA following sexual assault accusations by a young actor.
“There should be actions based on the report, but it should not be a knee-jerk reaction. Such incidents hamper the integrity of all industries, especially the field of cinema which attracts a lot of public attention. Thorough investigation should be done and justice should prevail,” Panicker added.
Meanwhile, the Kerala government on August 25 set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a preliminary probe into the sexual harassment allegations made against several actors in the wake of the Hema Committee report.
The Justice Hema Committee was formed by the Kerala Government in 2017 based on a petition by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to study the challenges faced by women in the industry. In December 2019, the Committee had submitted the findings to the Kerala Government but the report was not made public until recently. The report has pointed out various issues ranging from sexual abuse and lack of grievance redressal systems to the unavailability of toilet facilities for women in film sets.