Suresh Gopi on Tuesday lashed out at the media, accusing them of misleading the public. (Photo: PTI)
Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Tuesday lashed out at the media, accusing them of misleading the public’s perception of the film industry regarding the recent sexual harassment allegations against actors and directors.
The actor and politician called the allegations “fodder” for the media and said they were welcome to make money off of it.
However, the Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism said there should be no attempt to destroy an industry as big as cinema.
He was responding to questions from reporters on the recent allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against several directors and actors, including CPI(M) legislator M Mukesh.
“This is all food for you, that’s what I understand. You can use it to make money. There’s no problem with that. But these issues are before the court, and the court has the intelligence and logic to come to a decision on this.”
“You (media) are not only making people fight among themselves for your own benefits, but you are also misleading the public. Complaints are coming in the form of accusations at this point. What are you telling people? Are you the court? You are not. The court will decide. Let the court decide,” Gopi said.
His response came a day after the Yuva Morcha organised a march to Mukesh’s residence in Kollam.
The release of the Justice K Hema Committee report on harassment and abuse in the Malayalam film industry has opened a Pandora’s box with several actresses coming forward with disturbing accounts of the mistreatment they suffered at the hands of their various male counterparts.
Amid these allegations, the government announced the creation of a seven-member special investigation team to probe the allegations made in the wake of the publication of the Hema Committee report.
Following this, more complaints arose against several actors and directors.
The report of the Justice Hema Committee, constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 assault case on the actress, has revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry, prompting calls for action against the culprits.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: August 27, 2024 | 12:48 pm IS
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