Can the Kerala government look beyond just paying lip service?

On Sunday, actor and producer Siddique resigned as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA). Within hours, noted Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith resigned as president of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy. Both men resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment and assault leveled against them in the wake of the explosive revelations in the Justice Hema Committee Report.

The 290-page report, released last week, exposes the rampant sexual abuse of women in the Malayalam film industry, as well as their appalling working conditions. It details the impunity with which the industry’s predominantly male power structure exploits female actors and others, knowing that victims dare not complain or protest for fear of reprisals. It goes without saying that activists are cheering that in this unjust and toxic ecosystem, two influential men suddenly found themselves publicly accused of sexual misconduct and forced to step down from their exalted positions.

Just another blot on history?

But as damning as the Justice Hema Committee report is, will it lead to substantive changes within the Kerala film industry, so that women working there are neither forced to provide sexual favours to those in power, nor treated as second-class citizens without access to equal rights? Or will its findings be buried under the weight of institutional apathy, and reforms, if any, simply fail to materialise?

The progress of the report itself does not seem encouraging. In 2017, the Kerala government set up a three-member committee, headed by Justice K. Hema, to investigate the working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry. The move came after a leading actress in the industry was sexually assaulted in a moving car, allegedly at the behest of a prominent actor. Soon after, a group of women from the industry came together to form the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). It was largely due to the efforts of this group that the state government took the initiative to set up the Justice Hema Committee.

Questionable actions by Kerala government

But from that point on, the Kerala government’s behaviour became baffling, to say the least. The panel, which interviewed a large number of industry men and women including actors, directors, producers, scriptwriters, make-up artists and so on, had already finished its report in December 2019. However, the government refused to release it, claiming it contained “sensitive information” and could breach the privacy of certain individuals. Only now, almost five years later, a court order has secured the release of the report, albeit with several redacted parts to protect the identities of the alleged perpetrators and victims of sexual abuse.

One look at the report’s striking features and you know that several people must have been desperate to keep it secret. The picture it paints is of a film industry controlled by a cabal of powerful male actors, directors and producers who routinely subject women – whether actors, technicians or other professionals – to sexual harassment and exploitation. They are told to “conform” and “compromise”, euphemisms for agreeing to sex when asked. Indeed, the entire industry seems to be driven by a hideous patriarchal belief that if a woman has chosen to pursue a career in show business, she is sexually available. And if she hopes to succeed, she must be prepared to sexually indulge those in a position to give her work.

The panel also found that women in the industry are poorly paid and often denied contractual guarantees. Junior artists in particular are treated like slaves, the report says, and are denied basic amenities such as toilets and dressing rooms.

Silent, scared, intimidated

And yet, hardly a word is spoken against this systematic culture of abuse. Whenever a woman raises her voice against the injustice and relentless sexual harassment that takes place in the Malayalam film industry, her work dries up and she is viciously trolled on social media. The harassment can be so extreme that she even fears for her life. This of course leaves most women in the industry silent, scared and intimidated.

Despite these grim revelations and the public outcry against them, the Pinarayi Vijayan government initially refused to take any action on its own initiative against the perpetrators whose names appear in the report. Instead, it said it would initiate proceedings against the individuals if and when a woman lodges a formal complaint with the police.

This was a problematic decision, as most women in this country are reluctant to come forward with complaints of sexual abuse. However, in response to the political storm that erupted after the report was released and criticism that it was trying to shield certain high-ranking men, the government late on Sunday night set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the sexual exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.

Don’t let the report be so easy to ignore

It’s certainly a start. But it remains to be seen whether the SIT’s findings translate into concrete action on the ground. When the #MeToo movement swept through India in 2018, several prominent men, including Bollywood actors like Nana Patekar, Alok Nath and others, were called sexual predators. Ultimately, not much came of those accusations.

The Justice Hema Committee’s report should be much harder to sweep under the carpet, as it is an exhaustive and accurate exposé of the pervasive culture of economic discrimination and sexual exploitation of women across an entire industry. Indeed, the report offers a real opportunity to not only hold those responsible to account, but also to put in place laws, structures and safeguards to make the industry a safe, humane and gender-just workplace for women.

Will the Kerala government rise to the challenge? Or will it just pay lip service and wait for the storm to pass so that everyone can get back to business as usual within and outside the Malayalam film industry?

(Shuma Raha is a journalist and author)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author