‘Adjustments’ and ‘compromises’: Hema report exposes sexual abuse and exploitation of women in Malayalam film industry | India News

NEW DELHI: The Kerala government on Monday announced Report of the Justice Committee K Hema those disturbing aspects of Malayalam film industry including casting couch and sexual exploitation women. However, parts of the 295-page report were redacted before it was released under the RTI Act.
Based on testimonies from 51 industry professionals, the report shows that women are often asked to “adjustments” And “compromises“—euphemisms for sexual favors—to secure roles.
“According to women in cinema, harassment starts at the beginning. The statements of several witnesses heard by the commission show that the production manager or the person who makes an offer for a role in the cinema first approaches the woman/girl or, if it is the other way around and a woman approaches a person in the cinema looking for an opportunity in cinema, she is told that she has to make ‘adjustments’ and ‘compromises’ to get her into the cinema,” the report said.
“Compromising and accommodating are two terms that are very familiar to women in the Malayalam film industry, with the expectation that they are available for sex on demand,” it added.
The report also revealed the poor working conditions of women, who are denied basic human rights, such as access to toilets and dressing rooms, even on sets. Women often have to find remote places to change or use the toilet during outdoor shoots, without access to water or basic amenities.
“Almost all the women interviewed by the committee stated that there were no toilet facilities or changing rooms on set, especially since filming often took place in remote outdoor locations,” the report said.
What happens now is that the women themselves find a place in a nearby indoor space, like a forest or behind bushes or a big tree, to urinate during an outdoor shoot. Sometimes, one or two persons will hold some cloth to help the other to change or urinate. Also, there will be no water available at the location,” it added.
The Hema Commission was established following a 2017 case of sexual abuse involving an actor. On December 31, 2019, they submitted their findings to the chief commissioner.