Report reveals ‘Rampant Harassment’ in Malayalam Film Industry

A report has found that there is “rampant sexual harassment” in the Malayalam film industry.

According to the 290-page report, the industry is dominated by “a mafia of powerful men”.

Led by a former judge of the Kerala High Court and set up by the state government in 2017, the Hema committee details the abysmal working conditions on sets.

This included a lack of toilets and changing rooms for junior artists, no food and water for them, poor pay and no accommodation or transport facilities.

It says: “There are no toilets, so women have to go in the bushes or behind thick trees.

“During their periods, not being able to change their sanitary napkins for long hours and holding urine for long causes physical discomfort and makes them sick, in some cases needing hospitalisation.”

The report was only recently made public after nearly five years of delay and multiple legal challenges by members of the film industry.

The panel was set up after actress Bhavana Menon was sexually assaulted by a group of men in February 2017.

The assault hit headlines, especially after actor Dileep was named as an accused.

He denied the charges but was arrested and held in custody for three months before being released on bail. The case continues to be heard in court.

A few months after the attack, Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) petitioned the government, seeking swift action in the case and also addressing the problems faced by women in cinema.

In the report, retired Justice K Hema says the WCC told her that “women are being silenced as the prestige of the film industry needs to be upheld”.

The report said the panellists saw evidence that “sexual harassment remains shockingly rampant” and that “it goes on unchecked and uncontrolled”.

It added that the Malayalam industry “is controlled by a group of male actors, producers, distributors, exhibitors and directors who have gained enormous fame and wealth” and they were among the perpetrators.

“Men in the industry make open demands for sex without any qualms as if it’s their birthright.

“Women are left with very little options but to oblige – or reject at the cost of their long-awaited dream of pursuing cinema as their profession.

“The experiences of many women are really shocking and of such gravity that they have not disclosed the details even to their close family members.”

Many of those were initially reluctant to speak because “they were afraid they would lose their jobs”.

“In the beginning, we found their fear strange but as our study progressed we realised it was well-founded.

“We are concerned about their and their close relatives’ safety.”

Beena Paul, one of the founding members of the WCC, said:

“For years, we have been saying that there is a systemic problem in the industry. Sexual harassment is just one of them. This report proves it.

“We were always told that we were troublemakers [for raising such issues].

“This report proves that it [the condition] is far worse than what even we thought.”

WCC members said they have faced difficulty in getting work since they began demanding better working conditions.

Beena added: “People don’t like the fact that we are asking questions. So, quite a few members have faced difficult situations.”

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) denied the accusations.

Its general secretary Siddique disagreed that there was a small, powerful group that controlled the industry.

He also denied that sexual harassment was rampant in the industry and said that most of the complaints they received were about the delays or a lack of payment for workers.

He said conditions for women had improved on film sets in the past five years and all facilities were now available to them.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said if any woman who testified before the committee came forward to file a complaint, the government would take action.

He said: “No matter how big they are, they will be brought before the law.”

A public interest petition was filed in the Kerala High Court on August 22, 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 if criminal action needed to be taken once they had read it.