Live developments: Hema Committee report and the storm in Malayalam film industry

The release of the Hema Committee report, which revealed the abysmal working conditions and rampant sexual harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, has triggered another #MeToo wave in Kerala. Amid a storm of sexual harassment allegations against big industry names — including senior actors such as Siddique, Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Edavela Babu, Baburaj, directors Ranjith, Sajin Baabu, VA Shrikumar, and others — the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) announced on August 27 that all of its office bearers were resigning en masse. This included president and Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.

The Hema Committee report was released on August 19, five years after it was submitted to the state government, with heavy redactions to protect the privacy of the people who deposed, removing all identifiers and even the names of the perpetrators. The report made shocking revelations, including that junior artists were treated like slaves, and that a ‘power lobby’ slapped shadow bans on those who didn’t toe their line.

The Kerala government has now set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under IGP G Sparjan Kumar, to conduct a preliminary probe into the sexual harassment allegations made against several actors. 

You can read our entire coverage of Hema Committee report here, and here are the latest developments:

Ernakulam Principal Sessions court has ordered a stay on arresting actor-politician M Mukesh, pertaining to the sexual assault case against him. The case will be heard on September 3. Mukesh was accused of sexually abusing a woman actor and was booked by the Maradu police on August 29.

Malayalam actor Jayasurya has been booked by the Kerala police for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman. The first information report (FIR) has been registered at the Cantonment police station in Thiruvananthapuram, based on a complaint filed by the survivor. She has also filed six other complaints, including one against CPI(M) MLA and actor M Mukesh. He has also been booked by the police. According to police sources, Jayasurya has been booked under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Kollam CPI(M) MLA and actor M Mukesh has been booked by the Kerala police, on Thursday, August 29, for allegedly sexually abusing a woman actor. He has been booked by the Maradu police, based on a complaint filed by the survivor. According to police sources, Mukesh has been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

The Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), a trade union of technicians in the film industry, has urged that the names of alleged perpetrators named in the Justice Hema Committee report should be revealed. The federation also assured to provide legal and psychological support to the survivors.

Renowned Malayalam filmmaker Vinayan has written to the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan against hiring producer-director B Unnikrishnan in the film policy committee that was recently constituted by the government of Kerala. On August 10, the State's Minister for Culture Affairs Saji Cherian had spoken in the Assembly about the government's plan to formulate a film policy with the help of the committee, headed by veteran filmmaker Shaji N Karun. Vinayan's letter is against the inclusion of Unnikrishnan, who he points out has been found guilty by the Supreme Court of denial of work opportunities and illegal bans in 2020.