Post-Hema Commission: How to ensure the safety of women in the film industry | In Focus podcast

The K. Hema Commission Report has rocked the Malayalam film industry and brought all sorts of horrors into the public domain. Based on first-hand accounts, the report has documented rampant sexual exploitation, illegal bans, discrimination, wage disparities and inhuman working conditions, with women denied even basic facilities like toilets and changing rooms.

Significantly, it notes that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by a tight-knit clique of 10 to 15 all-male producers, directors and actors, who can ban anyone from the industry. It also points out the fear that witnesses felt when speaking openly about their experiences in the industry.

How is it that in such a large industry with an annual turnover of over ₹1,000 crores, workers are deprived of basic protections or decent working conditions? Will those who committed the crimes documented in the report be held accountable? And what kind of legal mechanisms can be put in place to protect the safety of women in the film industry?

Guest: Thulasi K Raj, an advocate practicing in the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court of India.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

Listen to more In Focus podcasts: