Hema committee report criticises Malayalam film industry

A landmark report into the problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry has revealed deep corruption at one of India’s most famous film hubs.

The findings of the three-member panel were quite condemnable.

The 290-page report – some parts of which have been redacted to conceal the identities of survivors and those accused of wrongdoing – said the industry was dominated by “a mafia of powerful men” and that “sexual harassment of women is rampant”.

The Hema Committee, headed by a former Kerala High Court judge and set up by the state government in 2017, detailed poor working conditions on film sets – including lack of toilets and dressing rooms for young artists, no food and water for them, low pay and no accommodation or transport.

“There are no toilets, so women have to go into the bush or behind dense trees. During menstruation, not being able to change sanitary pads for hours and holding urine for long periods causes physical discomfort and makes them sick, in some cases requiring hospitalization,” the report said.

The report was submitted to the government in December 2019 and was only released this week after nearly five years of delays and multiple legal challenges from members of the film industry.

The panel was set up following the horrific sexual assault of a leading actress in the film industry. Bhavana Menon, who has acted in over 80 South Indian language films and won several prestigious awards, was attacked by a group of men while travelling from Thrissur to Kochi in February 2017.

Her attack made headlines, especially after Dileep, one of the biggest actors in the Malayalam film industry and Menon’s co-star in half a dozen films, was named as an accused and charged with criminal conspiracy. He denied the charges, but was arrested and held for three months before being released on bail. The case continues to be heard in court.

Indian law prohibits identifying survivors of sexual assault, but it was known from the beginning that Ms. Menon was the one who was assaulted. In 2022, she waived her right to anonymity in an Instagram post and in a Interview with BBC.

Months after the attack on Ms Menon, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) – a group founded by some of her colleagues in the film industry known for many successful and critically acclaimed mainstream films – sent a petition to the government, demanding swift action in the case and addressing the issues faced by women in the film industry.

In the report, retired judge K Hema said the WCC told her that “women are being silenced because the reputation of the film industry needs to be maintained”.

The panel interviewed dozens of men and women, including artists, producers, directors, screenwriters, cameramen, hair stylists, make-up artists and costume designers, and “collected evidence including video footage, audio clips and WhatsApp messages”.

Describing sexual harassment as the “worst crime” facing women in the film industry, the report said panellists had seen evidence that “sexual harassment remains shockingly widespread” and “it continues unchecked and unchecked”.

The report added that the industry was “controlled by a group of male actors, producers, distributors, exhibitors and directors who have achieved immense fame and wealth” and that they were also among the perpetrators.

“Men in the industry make overt sexual demands without hesitation as if it were their birthright. Women have little choice but to comply – or refuse at the cost of their long-cherished dreams of pursuing film as a career.

“The experiences of many women are so shocking and severe that they do not even disclose the details to their family members.”

Many people approached by the council were initially hesitant to speak out because “they were afraid they would lose their jobs”.

“At first, we found their fear strange, but as the research progressed, we realized that their fear was well-founded. We were concerned about their safety and that of their loved ones.”

The WCC said the report vindicated its stance. “We have been saying for years that there is a systemic problem in the industry. Sexual harassment is just one of them. This report proves it,” Beena Paul, an award-winning editor and one of the founding members of the WCC, told the BBC.

“We were always told that we were troublemakers. [for raising such issues]This report demonstrates that it [the condition] “It’s even worse than we thought,” she said.

WCC members say they have struggled to find work since they began demanding better working conditions on set. “People don’t like the fact that we ask questions. So quite a few members have been put in difficult situations,” Ms Paul said.

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), a leading industry body that counts superstars like Mohanlal and Mamooty among its members, has denied the allegations. Secretary General Siddique disagrees that there is a small, powerful group controlling the industry.

He also denied that sexual harassment was rampant in the industry and said most of the complaints they received were about delayed or underpaid workers. He said working conditions for women on film sets had improved over the past five years and all facilities were now available to them.

In the week since its release, the report has sparked protests across the state, with prominent activists and opposition leaders demanding action against those accused of wrongdoing.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said if any of the women who testified before the commission come forward to file a complaint, the government would take action. “No matter how senior they are, they will be brought to book,” he said.

On Thursday, a public interest petition was filed in the Kerala High Court, seeking initiation of criminal proceedings against those accused in the report.

The court ordered the government to submit a copy of the report and the judges said they would decide whether criminal action was necessary after reading the report.

Allegations of harassment and abuse in films are not new in India – in 2018, the #MeToo movement hit the country’s most popular film industry, Bollywood, after actress Tanushree Dutta accused veteran actor Nana Patekar of inappropriate behavior towards her on a film set in 2008. Patekar has denied the allegations.

Ms Dutta, who later claimed she was denied a job, described the Hema committee report as “useless”, adding that previous reports on ensuring safer workplaces for women had failed to work.

However, Parvathy Thiruvothu, an award-winning actress and a key member of the WCC, told news channel Asianet that she considered the report’s release “a victory”.

“It opened the door to big changes in the industry,” she said.

Jeo Baby, director of The Great Indian Kitchen, a critically acclaimed film that examines patriarchal family structures, told the BBC that while gender issues remain a concern, change is happening in the industry. “This is the right time to fix this. The film industry has to come together to fight this.”

The report makes a number of recommendations to make the industry a safe place for women, saying its investigation and recommendations are not intended to criticise any individual, but rather “a serious effort to elevate the value of a profession so that it becomes a viable career choice for aspiring artists and technicians, both male and female”.

“It is hoped that the film industry will become so safe that parents can send their daughters and sons into the profession with the same confidence and sense of security as they would send their children to an engineering firm or a university,” the report added.