The publication of the Hema Committee Report has triggered a wave of Me Too movement in the Malayalam film industry. And the latest persons to be booked for alleged sexual harassment are actor-director VK Prakash, actor-producer Maniyanpilla Raju, VS Chandrasekharan, Edavela Babu in separate cases.
The Justice Hema Committee report established the wide prevalence of sexual harassment against women in the film industry. The report was recently made public following which many survivors have come forward to name their perpetrators.
On August 29, the Kollam Pallithottam police filed a case against actor-director VK Prakash under section 354 (a)(sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code following a complaint by a young female writer.
VK Prakash, who directed films like Trivandrum Lodge (2012), Nirnayakam (2015), Netholi Oru Cheriya Meenalla (2013), Oruthee (2022), among others, misbehaved with her during a film discussion, she alleged.
“I sent my story to him and he liked it. He promised to make the story into a film. He asked me to come to Kollam for the discussion and he booked a hotel room for me. Then he came to my room to listen to the narration. He asked me to act in an intimate scene. Then he touched my body and tried to kiss me. I felt uncomfortable and left the room,” she told the media.
Meanwhile, the Fort Kochi police have reportedly registered an FIR against actor-producer Maniyanpilla for sexually assaulting a woman.
The survivor told TNM that Maniyanpilla Raju demanded sexual favours from her on the set of Da Thadiya (2012) starring Nivin Pauly, Sekhar Menin and Ann Augustine.
“He knocked on my door at night, but I refused to let him in. The next day, he got angry at me on the set,” she recalled.
Besides filing a complaint against Raju, she also registered complaints against actors Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, production controllers Noble and Vichu, as well as producer and Lawyers’ Congress president VS Chandrasekharan.
The Ernakulam north police confirmed to TNM that they have filed an FIR against Edavela Babu. They however refused to share the case details saying that it was “confidential.”
Production controller Vichu was booked in two police stations for different crimes. While the Ernakulam Central police registered a case against him under sections 509 ( prohibits words, gestures or acts that are intended to insult a woman’s modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Nedumbassery police booked him under section 79 (making gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita(BNS).
Even though the FIRs are registered in different police stations in the state, the allegations will be probed by the recently formed Special Investigation Team (SIT) which also comprises senior women police officials. In the wake of the widespread public outcry, the Kerala government had constituted the SIT on August 29.
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.