More Women Coming Forward And Sharing Their Stories Following The Release of Hema Committee Report

The #MeToo storm had a major impact on the Malayalam film industry, following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report.

A total number of seventeen fresh cases have been registered in connection with sexual harassment in the film industry.

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists or AMMA was dissolved on August 27 following sexual misconduct allegations against some of its key members.

Actor Mohanlal also stepped down from his position as president of the panel.

The three member Justice Hema Committee was set up by the state government in 2017 while the report was submitted in 2019. The committee behind the report was former judge of the High Court of Kerala, K Hema, actor T Sarada and retired Principal Secretary of the Kerala government KB Valsalakumari.

The Hema committee examined issues faced by women who work in the Malayalam Film Industry. The report highlights some shocking stories of sexual abuse, difficult working conditions, pay disparity and mysterious practices that are prevalent in the Malayalam film industry.

The report, however, was not made public due to certain legal challenges. It was released only on August 19 leading to a lot of accusations and a box of secrets prevailing in the industry.

Accusations of sexual misconduct have risen against prominent filmmakers and actors, including Ranjith, Siddique, Baburaj and Saajin Babu.

Actress Minu Muneer revealed that she suffered verbal and physical assault from various actors while bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra has accused filmmaker Ranjith of misconduct.

A seven member panel comprising police officers was formed under Pinarayi Vijayan’s government on Sunday to investigate the matter.

Many women artists are sharing their personal experiences of working in this industry. It is left to be seen what course of action the law will take on the accused.