Women are being harassed in Malayalam film industry, Hema committee report reveals

The controversial Hema Commission report, released by the Kerala government on Monday afternoon after five years, claims that sexual exploitation is rampant in the Malayalam film industry and that women are being asked to make “compromises” in exchange for work.

The 233-page, abridged version of the report was released shortly after 2:30 p.m. Monday. The state’s culture ministry gave copies of the report to eight people who requested it under the Right to Information Act.

The Hema Commission under Justice K. Hema was formed to address the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry following a 2017 sexual abuse case involving actor Dileep. The case, in which an actress was kidnapped and abused by several accused, including Dileep, has been ongoing since then. The report, submitted in 2019, was not released earlier due to its sensitive content.

According to the report, the Malayalam film industry denies opportunities to those who are not willing to “cooperate” and provide sexual favours. There is a general perception that actresses are here to make money and will therefore sleep with anyone.

Several women stated that when they go somewhere to look for work, they are often accompanied by parents or relatives, as the demand for sex often coincides with an offer of work. Furthermore, women do not feel safe staying alone in the accommodation that has been arranged for them. “In most hotels where they stay, there are knocks on the door from men who work in the cinema and who are usually drunk,” the report said.

“But a teacher, a clerk, an engineer or a doctor or a woman in any other profession will not face such problems. At least they do not have to take their parents with them when they go to their office for work, because they are not faced with any demand for sex to enter the workplace in question. Normally it would be enough for them to prove their competence and nothing more to get other jobs and they can safely enter their office.