Women who agree to a compromise are referred to by code names

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Women who agree to demands of powerful groups are referred to by code names. Many female artistes sacrifice their integrity for roles, with production controllers acting as manipulative middlemen, according to a Justice Hema Committee report.

While the crucial role played by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) cannot be forgotten, it was also the subject of ridicule and criticism.

As the committee reacted with shock to the revelations by stakeholders in the Malayalam film industry, several women alleged that they had been subjected to unwanted advances even before they got to work in a film. The report has thrown light on ‘sexual harassment that remains unchecked and uncontrolled’ in the film industry.

“Not all men are responsible for the bad reputation of the film industry. All the women who spoke to the committee about sexual harassment stated that there were also very respectable men working in the film industry, with whom they felt very safe to work. The names mentioned were those of a cameraman and a director, with the utmost respect for them,” the report said.

The Hema Commission also spoke to the actors belonging to the black and white era, with one of them claiming that the main problem the women faced was that there was no authority to address their grievances. When the report highlights two relevant words, ‘compromise’ and ‘accommodation’, it speaks volumes about the human rights violations they were subjected to.

The WCC had requested the Hema Committee to form an internal complaints committee in each manufacturing unit of ‘AMMA’, the latter insisting that they were not an employer. However, AMMA in their counter-affidavit before the High Court replied that they had already formed a forum for cell complaints. The question whether an ICC can be formed or not is currently pending before the High Court.

The committee also threw light on the Malayalam film industry which is under the control/grip of certain producers, directors, actors – all men. The gravity of the issue is clear as the committee has labelled this caucus as “mafia”.