Judge Hema report: Kerala opposition demands police probe into sexual exploitation of women in Malayalam film industry

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) Hours after the damning report of the Justice K Hema Commission on the conditions of women working in the Malayalam film industry, with shocking revelations about the manner in which women are sexually exploited in the industry, was finally released on Monday, Leader of Opposition in Kerala, V D Satheesan, slammed the Pinarayi Vijayan government for keeping the report under wraps since 2019.

Justice Hema (retd) submitted her report in 2019 after being appointed by the Vijayan government in 2017 and it cost the state government Rs 1.50 crore. However, it was only after a protracted legal battle that the report was released on Monday, even amid last-minute attempts to delay its release.

“This is a serious crime committed by the Vijayan government and we want to know why this report was kept in the fridge. Was it to save those who did the exploitation? The need of the hour is to form a special police investigation team headed by a top woman IPS officer and arrest all the culprits, whoever they are and wherever they are,” Satheesan said.

Incidentally, Minister of State for Culture and Films Saji Cherian said that he has been a minister for the past three years and that no complaint of exploitation has been received by him so far.

“There is now a report published talking about such things, but I am prepared to order an investigation if there are complaints. I want to let everyone know that there is no need to worry and that any woman who comes forward with a complaint will not face any coercion,” he said.

“We are holding a meeting in the coming months where all the leading figures of the film industry from various sectors will be invited. There will be a superficial discussion and all burning issues will be discussed,” Cherian added.

The 289-page report by the Hema committee begins: “The sky is full of mysteries; with the twinkling stars and the beautiful moon. But scientific research has shown that stars do not twinkle and the moon does not look beautiful. The study therefore warns: ‘Do not trust what you see, even salt looks like sugar’.”

“The experiences that many women have gone through in cinema are truly shocking and so serious that they have not even shared the details with their immediate family members. Surprisingly, during our research, we found that certain men had also faced many problems in the industry and many of them, including some very prominent artists, had been unauthorisedly banned from working in cinema for a considerable period of time. It was shocking to know that the only reason for such an unauthorised ban was due to very stupid reasons. They would have consciously or unconsciously ‘incited the wrath of some person from the powerful industry lobby, which rules the industry’,” the report said.

“The biggest problem faced by women in the film industry is sexual harassment. It is the worst evil faced by women in the industry. Most of the women in the industry, who are known to be very brazen, are reserved and reluctant to share their bad experiences in the industry, especially sexual harassment. They are afraid to tell even their colleagues in the industry, fearing the consequences they may face. They fear that if they share their problems with others, they will be ostracized from the film world and exposed to other forms of harassment as such persons are powerful in the industry and all the men in the industry support them. By using fans and fan clubs, there would be severe online harassment against them (female artists) on social media. They would also face threats to life, not only for themselves but even for their close family members, as stated by several witnesses. Thus, they are silenced in the film industry,” Justice Hema’s report said.

“According to women in cinema, the harassment starts right from the beginning. From the statements of various witnesses heard by the commission, it appears that the production manager or the person making an offer for a role in cinema first approaches the woman/girl or, if it is the other way around, when a woman approaches a person in cinema who is looking for an opportunity in cinema, she is told to make ‘adjustments’ and ‘compromises’ to get her into cinema. ‘Compromises’ and ‘adjustments’ are two terms very familiar to women in the Malayalam film industry and they are asked to make themselves available for sex on demand.”

“There may be cases of consensual sex, but women in cinema are generally not willing to share a bed to get a chance in cinema. Another witness stated before the commission that there can also be women who are willing to adapt to the demands and she herself has seen certain mothers who manipulate the situation to their advantage and believe that there is nothing wrong with it. The witness stated that this is a shocking reality. According to women in cinema, it is a sad situation that a woman has to give in to sexual demands to get a job in cinema, while there is no such situation in any other field, as was indicated by many witnesses questioned before the commission,” the report said.

Source: IANS

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