The Malayalam film industry is going through a real frenzy after the Hema Committee report was made public last Monday. Superstar Mohanlal has resigned as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). According to media reports, all the members of the executive committee, comprising 17 people, have submitted their joint resignation. Well-known actor Siddique on Sunday resigned from the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following allegations of sexual harassment levelled by a famous actress. The actor said in a conversation that he had sent his resignation to the then president of the organisation, Mohanlal. On the other hand, Ranjith, a Malayalam director, had also recently resigned on the same day as the president of the Chalachitra Academy in Kerala following allegations of impropriety levelled against him by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra.
But what is the Hema Committee report?
Several shocking revelations have been made about the Malayalam film industry. The Justice Hema Committee Report was released last Monday. According to PTI, this report talks about the sexual harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The report also says that women are offered jobs with the demand for sexual relations. Many women have alleged that they were forced to make concessions even before they started work. Since then, concerns have been mounting about the safety of women artists in the Malayalam film industry.
Let me tell you that the government constituted the Justice Hema Committee in 2019. The committee studied the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. Important details about sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse of women have been exposed in this report. Five years after the report was submitted to the government, a copy of the report was given to the media under the RTI Act. And that is how it attracted attention on social media as well.
A much needed change!
The Hema Committee maintains that an Internal Complaints Committee may prove ineffective because powerful people may threaten or coerce CCI members to handle the complaint in the manner they wish. It also raises concerns regarding the secrecy of information disclosed to the CCI if it is staffed by industry insiders, compounding the ordeal of complainants. The committee recommends that the government create a suitable statute and set up a tribunal to address all the challenges faced by women in films.
Since this report appeared on the internet, the Malayalam film industry has seen some major changes, such as the resignation of Mohanlal and others from the Malayalam Film Artists Association. However, all this will mean nothing until proper reforms are made so that women not only feel safe but actually ‘are’ safe at their workplaces. Moreover, the outrage over the rape and murder case of a doctor in Kolkata has also made people feel bad for women working in the Malayalam film industry.
Read also: MAlayalam film director M Mohan dies at 76 due to prolonged illness
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