What the Kerala film industry needs to do to make the Hema committee report meaningful
Women in Cinema Collective founding member Bina Paul talks to Scroll about the implications of the ground-breaking study.
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In February 2017, a leading Malayalam actress was abducted and sexually assaulted by a group of men while returning from a shoot. A police investigation accused the actor Dileep of being the mastermind behind the attack.
This horrific incident prompted the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective in May that year. Among the WCC’s earliest actions was to petition Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to form a committee to look into sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the Malayalam film industry.
The committee was headed by former High Court of Kerala judge K Hema. Actor T Sarada and retired Principal Secretary of the Kerala government KB Valsalakumari were the other members. Although the panel’s report was finalised in 2019, the findings were not released because of legal challenges.
When the report finally came out on August 19 this year, it send shockwaves not just in Kerala but far beyond.
Apart from rampant sexual harassment, the report pointed to illegal labour practices (such as junior artists and technicians being denied basic facilities) as well as the existence of a “mafia group” that had untrammelled power over actors or filmmakers.
The findings continue to roil Kerala. Since it was released. women have publicly alleged sexual harassment by prominent filmmakers and actors. Industry unions and associations...
