Hema Commission report exposes exploitation in Malayalam film industry; women forced to give sexual favours to get work

The Hema Justice Commission report on the Malayalam film industry contains shocking revelations about sexual exploitation of women in the workplace.

In many cases, women are made to provide sexual favours to get opportunities in the Malayalam film industry, the report said.

It also turned out that the production manager or the person casting the role in the film first approaches the woman/girl, or even if it is the other way around, is told that she has to make ‘adjustments’ and ‘compromises’.

The Hema Commission report was released by the Kerala government on Monday.

The Hema committee was formed after a case of a Malayalam actress came to light. The actress was allegedly sexually assaulted in a moving vehicle in 2017. Malayalam actor Dileep is one of the suspects in the case and is being prosecuted.

“The sky is full of mysteries; with the twinkling stars and the beautiful moon. But scientific research has shown that stars do not twinkle and the moon does not look beautiful either. The study therefore warns: ‘Don’t trust what you see, even salt looks like sugar!'” the report reads.

In the Malayalam film industry, female employees are expected to be available for sex on demand, the report said.

According to the report, women in the cinema are often accompanied by their family and close relatives, as they do not feel safe staying alone in the accommodation provided to them.

“In most of the hotels where they stay, the doors are knocked on by men who work in the cinema and who are usually drunk. Many women stated that knocking is not polite or decent, but they bang on the door repeatedly, violently. On many occasions, they felt as if the door would collapse and men would force their way into the room,” the report said.

The commission’s report cited an incident in which an actress was forced to act as the wife of a man who had previously sexually abused her: “…the next day she had to work with the same man as husband and wife, embracing each other. It was horrible. Because of what had been done to her during the shooting, her resentment and hatred showed on her face. Seventeen retakes had to be made for just one shot. The director criticized her for the situation.”

Many male and female actors told the panel that they are publicly threatened, slandered and mentally harassed for posting all kinds of comments and vulgar photos, videos, etc. on social media.

Various comments of sexual color are made against them in public and even pictures of penises and other images are posted on the wall of the female artists, followed by comments that they will be raped etc., to ridicule, threaten, demoralize and humiliate them.