Quite a powerful report: Revathi

KOCHI: Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an organisation for women working in the Malayalam film industry, has welcomed the release of the Justice Hema Committee report.

Speaking to TNIE, actor Revathi called the report “quite a strong report.” “From everything I have read, I think it is quite a strong report. I am yet to read the entire report. However, I will go through it after I complete my work. All the WCC members will read it and after a day or two, we will discuss the entire thing. Once we do that, we will have a better idea of ​​what the report is,” the actor said.

As for the next step of WCC once discussions are held among members, and whether recommendations or proposals will be made, Revathi said: “Absolutely. That is our plan. We were already aware of the issues. However, what we needed was for them to be on paper. Only then can the law and the government come into the picture.”

Revathi said that there are several things that need to be addressed (in the industry). “Though WCC was able to involve the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), it has to be noted that they still don’t understand how it is constituted; how to make it workable? They don’t realise that it is a very powerful body if it is made workable. We have to sensitise film organisations to do that. And that is something that WCC will definitely work on,” Revathi said.

Regarding the scenario where the actors who testified before the committee and also WCC members were not getting work, Revathi said, “Anyone who is a member of the WCC and has spoken up knew that it was inevitable. The witch hunt is not openly happening but it is a fact that they are not getting work. And to break this unspoken and unwritten rule that is being propagated by the big banners, we need to create a work space where there are as many women directors, writers and producers as possible who would create work without discrimination.”