A landmark report by the three-member Justice Hema Committee, formed in 2017 by the Kerala government to study the issues faced by women in Malayalam cinema, has provided a damning indictment of the systemic misogyny, sexual harassment, power abuse, and exploitation in the film industry. The report was released on August 19, five years after the Committee submitted it to the state government, with several redactions to protect the privacy of the people who deposed before the panel.
The report declared that “sexual harassment is the worst evil that women face in the film industry,” and acknowledged that most women were reluctant to divulge their traumatic experiences fearing consequences, including getting banned from the industry.
Several women in the industry told the committee that while going to work, they are often accompanied by their parents or close relatives, “since demand for sex is made along with the offer for a chance in cinema,” and hence, they are apprehensive of their safety in their workplace.
Women who deposed before the committee also raised the non-availability of changing rooms and toilets in sets as a major issue.
The report also revealed that a powerful group of men control the film industry, handing out unofficial ‘bans’ to anyone they are unhappy with.
Though all identifiers and even the names of the perpetrators were removed from the document, the report emboldened several survivors of sexual harassment to come out publicly, naming and shaming bigwigs in the industry. Among the prominent actors and directors who have been named are Siddique, Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, directors Ranjith, Sajin Baabu, VA Shrikumar and others.
Here is the redacted document that was released on August 19.