The developments in the Malayalam film industry look as though the Hema Committee report has opened Pandora’s box.
Published Aug 25, 2024 | 11:37 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 25, 2024 | 11:48 PM
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Even as the Justice Hema Committee report has created a furore in Kerala, the state government, on Sunday, 25 August formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to address complaints from women in the Malayalam film industry.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a high-level meeting with senior police officials on 25 August to discuss the issue of rampant sexual exploitation, ‘compromises’ and couch and formulate a strategy for addressing these complaints.
Following the meeting, the CM’s office issued a statement announcing the formation of a special investigation team. This team, led by IG G Sparjan Kumar, will include senior female police officers and will be overseen by ADGP of the Crime Branch, H Venkitesh.
The team’s primary objective will be to thoroughly investigate the complaints and ensure justice for the affected individuals.
The members of the special investigation team are as follows,
G Sparjan Kumar – IG, leading the investigation
S. Ajeetha Begum – DIG
Merin Joseph – SP Crime Branch HQ
G Poonguzhali – AIG, Coastal Police
Aishwarya Donkere – Asst. Director, Kerala Police Academy
Ajith V – AIG, Law and Order
S Madhusoodanan – SP Crime Branch, Thiruvananthapuram.
The developments in the Malayalam film industry look as though the Hema Committee report has opened Pandora’s box. The Kerala government released the report on 19 August, revealing the harassment faced by women actors in the film industry. The report was released after the Kerala High Court rejected the pleas by actor Ranjini against the release of the report. She had said that she was among the people who had given their statements to the committee but did not receive a copy of the same.
The report delves deep into wage discrimination to sexual exploitation, exposing the hidden harassment in the Malayalam film industry. It also revealed the casting couch culture and the silent suffering of women in cinema. Leaving out some parts that reveal the personal information of actors, the government released a 233-page document.
The report said that female actors are usually expected to grant sexual favours to the insiders. The controller or whoever gives an offer for a role in the cinema first approaches the woman (girl in some cases) or if it is the other way around, a woman approaches any person in cinema seeking a chance, she is told that she has to make “adjustments” and “compromise” to make her way into the cinema, the report said.
“Compromise” and “adjustment” are two terms that are very familiar among women in the Malayalam film industry and, they are asked to make themselves available for sex on demand. The report also sheds light on the troubling challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
(Edited by Neena with inputs from Sreelakshmi)
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