The Malayalam Film Industry is going through a real frenzy after the Hema Committee report was made public last Monday. Superstar Mohanlal has resigned as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). As per media reports, all the members of the executive committee consisting of 17 people have submitted their joint resignation. Well-known actor Siddique resigned from the post of General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) on Sunday after allegations of sexual harassment levelled by a famous actress. The actor said in a conversation that he had sent his resignation to the organisation’s then-president Mohanlal. On the other hand, Ranjith, a Malayalam director, had also recently resigned on the very day as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy following claims of impropriety levelled against him by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra.
But what is the Hema Committee report?
Several shocking revelations have been made about the Malayalam film industry. Justice Hema Committee Report came out last Monday. According to PTI, this report talked about the sexual harassment that women are facing in the Malayalam film industry. The report also said that women are offered work with the demand for sexual relations. Many women have alleged that they were forced to compromise even before starting work. Since then, concerns have increased about the safety of women artists in the Malayalam film industry.
Let us tell you that the government constituted the Justice Hema Committee in 2019. The committee studied the issues that women are facing in the Malayalam film industry. Important details of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse of women have been exposed in this report. Five years after, the report was submitted to the government, a copy of the report was given to the media under the RTI Act. And that’s how it garnered attention on social media as well.
A much required change!
The Hema Committee argues that an Internal Complaints Committee can be ineffectual because powerful individuals can threaten or coerce ICC members to handle the complaint in the manner they desire. It also raises concerns regarding the secrecy of information disclosed to the ICC if it is made up of industry insiders, exacerbating the complainants’ ordeal. The committee advises that the government create an appropriate statute and establish a Tribunal to address all of the challenges that women face in cinema.
Ever since this report made it to the internet, the Malayalam Film Industry has seen some major changes, like Mohanlal and others resigning from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists. However, this all will also mean nothing until and unless proper reforms are made to make women not only feel but actually ‘be’ safe at their workplaces. Moreover, with the right outrage with the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case has also made people feel for the women working in the Malayalam Film Industry.
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