Women face sexual harassment, abuse in Mollywood, reveals judicial panel report | Latest News India
Women artists and actors in the Malayalam film industry were routinely asked for sexual favours in exchange for opportunities, told to compromise, dealt with force exhibited by their male colleagues and threatened with bans if they attempted to sue, a landmark report on working conditions of women movie professionals in Kerala said on Monday.
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The justice Hema committee report was released roughly four-and-a-half years after it was submitted to the Kerala government and recounted stark revelations about sexual harassment and abuse women faced within the industry, a powerful all-male lobby, unauthorised banning of artists, poor treatment of junior artists and absence of legal remedies to address grievances.
The publishing of the 235-page report – the first instance of a government-ordered gender audit in cinema in India – came after the division bench of the Kerala high court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by actress Ranjini against a verdict of the single-judge bench and asked her counsel to file a writ petition instead. Though the writ petition was filed before justice VG Arun, he declined to hear the matter as it was yet to be numbered.
“Compromise and adjustment are two terms which are very familiar among women in the Malayalam film industry and thereby, they are asked to make herself available for sex on demand,” the report read.
Underlining that women do not find their accommodations arranged near film sets safe, the report said they were forced to be accompanied by their family members or close relatives in fear of being attacked. Those who testified before the committee said they were taking a risk by disclosing their experiences within the industry.
‘…if the facts stated by them reach the ears of those who tortured them, as many of the perpetrators are very influential. It was a shocking experience for us to listen to the nature of sexual assault and harassment which women in cinema have gone through,” it read.
The Kerala government constituted the panel after the 2017 actress assault case involving actor Dileep to study issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam cinema. It comprised retired high court justice K Hema, veteran actress Sarada and retd IAS office KB Valsala Kumari.
The three-member panel was instituted in 2017 in the wake of the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of a leading Malayalam actress in a moving car near Kochi. One of the prime accused in that case, currently under trial, is actor Dileep who faces charges of conspiracy, tampering of evidence among other offences.
The panel alleged there was a “power nexus” consisting of a handful of producers, directors, actors and production controllers. It highlighted that women were denied basic human rights on film sets such as access to clean toilets and changing rooms. Female artists faced a tough time during menstruation and learnt to avoid drinking water for long periods to prevent the urge for urination, it said.
“The offer to act or for doing any other job in cinema comes to a woman coupled with demand for sexual favours. As I already mentioned, the woman would be asked to adjust and compromise, thereby she is asked to surrender to sexual demands,” the report said.
The committee hit out at the state film industry, accusing it of being under the clutch of certain actors, producers, and directors – all male.
“They control the whole Malayalam film industry and they dominate other persons working in cinema. They can even coerce and threaten the persons who work in the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to deal with the complaint, in the manner they demand. If any one of them who is part of ICC does not act according to dictates of those in power, their future can be ruined and they will be even wiped out of the industry as they are capable of doing it. This situation in cinema is very shocking,” it said.
A prominent actor referred to the all-male lobby as a ‘mafia’ that can pronounce ‘illegal’ and ‘unauthorised’ bans on anyone in the industry. Such bans are operated by mouth-to-mouth secret communication from one person to another and enforced upon producers easily, the report said.
The government-instituted audit also shone light on the plight of junior artists who were subjected to “inhumane treatment” on the sets.
The committee report – originally 295 pages long – was cut short by 66 pages to redact the names and information of those who testified and others against whom allegations were made.
The report recommended the enactment of a statute and the formation of a tribunal under it to solve the issues faced by women in the industry. It underlined that contrary to other sectors, where sexual harassment happened at the workplace, women cinema professionals were subjected to abuse even before she was selected for a role.
The committee said the tribunal must act as a civil court and be headed by a retired district judge, preferably a woman, who has at least five years of trial experience. The new law must provide for safe accommodations and transport options for women, access to toilets and changing rooms, ban on drugs and alcohol on film sets and strict adherence to work contracts especially for junior artists.
“An artist added that if they take up the matter before the court or the police, they will face worse consequences, including threat to life. The artist added that threat to life will not only be against the victims but even their close family members will be in danger,” the report said.
The report sparked a furore in Kerala.
“There is no doubt that the recommendations by the committee call for serious introspection. In two months, we plan to hold a cinema conclave in Kochi where persons from different areas of cinema will come together. There will be extensive discussions and the government will take a decision on its implementation.” said culture minister Saji Cheriyan.
The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an outfit on whose demand the Hema committee was formed, hailed the report.
“It has been a long journey for us. We believed that our fight for justice for all women wanting a dignified professional space in the film industry was the right fight. Today we stand vindicated.”
Actor Siddique, general secretary of the influential body of actors Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, said, “We will thoroughly study the report and then make a detailed response. It is a sensitive issue.”
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