Actor Mohanlal, on Saturday, August 31, said that Malayalam cinema must not be destroyed on the basis of the Hema Committee report. Addressing the media for the first time after the release of the report, the superstar said that he is unaware of the existence of an all-controlling power group in the industry as pointed out in the report. The former president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) also said that he has not tried to avoid the media and that he was caught up in personal and professional commitments in the past few days.
The actor, recalling his journey with his fans in Malayalam cinema, made an emotional appeal to not bring down the film industry which is built on the hard work of many people. He welcomed the Hema Committee report, but made no mention of the sexual harassment cases against his colleagues including Maniyanpilla Raju, Ranjith, or Siddique.
Beginning the press conference with a disclaimer that he doesn’t usually face the media because he does not know how to speak with authority, Mohanlal said that after 47 years in the industry, he is “saddened to now speak about an unfortunate subject concerning Malayalam cinema.” He also urged the media not to ask him “difficult questions.”
“The report is welcome, but what are we supposed to do? This is something that can destroy the Malayalam industry. Tens of thousands of people work here. When I started work in Madras (now Chennai), there were no facilities. Malayalam is a small industry that we built up with hard work. When we go to other languages, we understand how great our cinema is. Please don’t focus on the report alone and destroy cinema. The industry has to move forward or it will stand still,” he said.
He added that there is a government and police department here and that the Committee report has also reached the court. “I can’t say anything with authority about this.”
Mohanlal, one of Malayalam cinema’s biggest stars, has been heavily criticised for his silence on the Hema Committee report. Explaining that everyone in Malayalam cinema must respond to the concerns raised in the report, he said that he too had deposed before the Committee. “I am an actor, producer, and director. I spoke to the Committee about what happens in my own films. I am often asked about the entire industry, but I can’t speak on that,” he said.
He added that after the Committee’s report was released, the A.M.M.A. was being blamed for everything. “Entire Malayalam cinema has to respond to the things raised in the Hema Committee. We saw that A.M.M.A’s committee was being blamed for everything and anything.
It is not us who have to answer to everything, but most arrows come towards me and those with me. Therefore, we decided to resign.”
He insisted that they had not stopped the functioning of A.M.M.A but no one wanted to continue as office bearers.
He said the decision was made unanimously on a Google Meet call. “Everyone was informed and everyone's consent was taken and recorded as minutes,” he said. A few members, however, had earlier told the media that they did not know about this resignation and that their opinions were not sought.
He defended the decision to resign and said this was not a defeat or mere escapism. “All the allegations are coming towards us, unnecessarily. Let’s stop that and save Malayalam cinema,” he said.
He also said that A.M.M.A cannot be obligated to respond to everything because we are not a trade union. “AMMA is not an association which has a trade union’s characteristics. We began as a welfare organisation for members and we work more like a family to help each other,” he said.
The actor added that a lot of people are saying A.M.M.A should not have done this or that. “Let them come forward and contest elections. Anyone can contest any post. They can lead the organisation,” he said
Through his monologue, and press meet later at the launch ceremony of the Kerala Cricket Association’s league logo in Thiruvananthapuram, Mohanlal said multiple times that the industry should not be destroyed. “This is one of the best times for Malayalam cinema. South Indian films are garnering attention pan India and internationally. When this becomes national and international news, this industry should not be destroyed. You should sincerely wish for that, along with me,” he added.
Mohanlal further appealed to the media to “cooperate” to overcome a crisis. “A lot has happened recently. We had a landslide like never seen before in India. But we need to forget all this and reconstruct, and the industry everyone loves will be destroyed.