The report details ordeal that women actors face on sets, in hotel rooms during shoots, being asked to be available for sex on demand.
Published Aug 19, 2024 | 3:55 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 20, 2024 | 4:02 PM
Hema Commission report. Representative Image. (iStock)
The Kerala government on Monday, 19 August, released the Justice K Hema Committee report revealing the harassment faced by female 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 has 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.
Meanwhile, actor Revathy told South First that the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) would dive deep into the report and the recommendations.
“Only 233 pages are out now, and we are very happy. The actual work of the WCC is going to begin. We will dive deep into the recommendations by Justice Hema. As you know, each of us struggled a lot to expose the dirty practices in Mollywood. If the law stands with us, we can take more steps. Our ultimate aim is to protect the coming generation who wish to work in cinema from all these atrocities,” she said.
According to sources, fear of harassment has left female actors dreading the lonely hours in hotel rooms during shoots.
Numerous female actors have shared harrowing experiences of men from the industry persistently knocking on their doors late at night, with some even fearing that these men might forcefully break in.
To safeguard themselves, many now insist on being accompanied by their parents during shoots. The gravity of these incidents, as revealed by several female actors, calls for serious legal scrutiny under the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) laws, the report said.
It said that female actors face severe challenges on film sets during menstruation.
They often encounter significant discomfort when trying to change sanitary pads and may be forced to remain on set for hours without access to restrooms.
The lack of proper facilities has led to widespread issues, including urinary tract infections and other health problems among actresses in the Malayalam film industry. In many cases, production units do not permit women to use restrooms.
According to sources, the committee has made several significant recommendations aimed at improving the working conditions for women on film sets.
The Committee was formed, after the 2017 actress assault case involving actor Dileep, to study issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam cinema.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
