Questions have risen over the presence of Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA and actor M Mukesh in a committee set up in 2023 by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) to develop a film policy for the state. In 2018, a top casting director had accused Mukesh of behaving inappropriately with her years ago. Recently, another woman appeared on Malayalam TV channels and alleged that Mukesh demanded sexual favours in return for a membership in Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), an apex body for artists in the industry.
She said that she sought the help of late actor Innocent, who directed her to another person. Mukesh is believed to have called her and said, “You are trying to sneak into AMMA without my knowledge? Nothing will happen in Malayalam cinema without me knowing.”
Kerala's Minister for Cultural and Youth Affairs, Saji Cherian, had revealed the list of people in the committee in the state assembly last year. Recently, Saji Cherian had announced that this committee will also plan a conclave of film industry bodies that would be convened in November.
A casting director, in 2018, had alleged that Mukesh behaved inappropriately with her during a television show sometime around 2004. She alleged that Mukesh, who was hosting the Koteeswaran program in Malayalam, called her room multiple times and then changed her room to be beside his on the next schedule. Mukesh had denied it then and did so again after the media took up this allegation once again after the Hema Committee report was published.
Mukesh has also been accused of abusive behaviour by his ex-wife Saritha, a prominent actor in south indian movies. In an interview, she said that Mukesh is a person who never respects women. “He is a very violent person. He blamed me and physically abused me to cover up his mistakes. I sent my children to boarding school to avoid them seeing him abusing me. He brings women to home, he drinks and beats me up,” Saritha alleged in an old interview.
According to an order issued by the Department of Cultural Affairs in 2023, a 10-member committee headed by KSFDC Chairman Shaji N Karun comprising members culture department secretary Mini Antony (as the convenor) and actors M Mukesh, Manju Warrier, Padmapriya, and Nikhila Vimal, and directors Rajeev Ravi and B Unnikrishnan, producer Santhosh Kuruvila, and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy secretary C Ajoy.
The committee is tasked with formulating a film policy, after considering the recommendations by the Hema Committee report and by seeking input from those from the industry. As soon as the announcement was made, it was met with resistance from several quarters, including the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC).
The Justice Hema Committee was formed in 2017 to study the challenges faced by women in the industry, and the report which was released last week has pointed out to various issues ranging from sexual abuse and lack of grievance redressal systems.