What is the Hema Commission report on Malayalam cinema about?

The Malayalam film industry, known for its progressive films, also has a dark side. According to the findings of the Justice Hema Committee, set up by the Kerala government, “Sexual harassment is the worst evil faced by women in the film industry.”

The report – a redacted version of which was made public on August 19 – acknowledged that most women in the industry were reluctant to share their traumatic experiences, particularly of sexual harassment, for fear of consequences such as being “banned” from the industry and subjected to “other harassment”. It suggested that sexual harassment is widespread in the industry and that the mafia still exists.

The News MinuteDhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna delve deeper into why the commission was set up, the concerns raised about the report, why it is an incomplete exercise, and the five key conclusions we drew from it.

Watch.

The formation of the Hema Commission was triggered by the shocking kidnapping and sexual assault of a top actress in Kerala in February 2017. The crime was carried out by a gang of men allegedly hired by superstar Dileep. Read on to understand how a sexual assault case exposed the Malayalam film industry.

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