#MeToo shakes up Malayalam film industry: Know all about the Justice Hema Commission report and its implications

Mahila Congress workers sit in a Sathyagraham demanding prosecution on the basis of the Hema Commission report in Kochi on August 23, 2024. | Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

The K. Hema Committee’s report on the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry was made public on August 19, 2024, five years after it was submitted to the Kerala government. The report revealed horrific stories of sexual exploitation, illegal bans, discrimination, drug and alcohol abuse, wage disparities and in some cases inhuman working conditions.

Also read: Report of the Hema Justice Committee: Full coverage

The 235-page report, released after redacting the names of witnesses and accused, notes that the Malayalam film industry is in the grip of certain male producers, directors and actors.

The committee confirms the rumor that the industry practices “casting couch.” The report also highlights the lack of dressing rooms or toilet facilities on set, especially on outdoor locations.

Below is a timeline of the events that followed the incident and led to the submission of the Hema Justice Committee report:

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The public debates that arose after the publication of the report seem to have given many women the courage to talk about the shocking experiences they had endured in the past.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising senior women police officers, has been constituted to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment against several actors of Malayalam films.

In 2017, a popular Malayalam actress came forward with allegations of kidnapping and sexual assault against her in Kochi. The Kerala police investigation team zeroed in on actor Dileep, who was arrested on charges of conspiracy to carry out the sexual assault. After the survivor identified herself on social media, an unprecedented uproar took place in the industry, leading to the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). Based on a petition by the Collective, the LDF government set up a committee headed by retired Justice K. Hema, comprising former actor Sharada and retired IAS officer K. B. Valsala Kumari.

Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused filmmaker and former chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Ranjith of behaving inappropriately with her during the pre-production period of the 2009 Malayalam film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha. He eventually resigned. Later, the police filed a non-bailable case against him under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code.

Actor Siddique resigned as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) following allegations of sexual abuse by actress Revathy Sampath. The police eventually filed a case against him on charges of illegally detaining and threatening the woman.

Actor Minu Muneer alleged that some of the big names in the industry physically and verbally abused her. The names named included Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA and actor M. Mukesh, actor and producer Maniyanpilla Raju, actor and former general secretary of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) Edavela Babu, actor Jayasurya, a production controller and others. Cases were filed against all of them.

This story is a developing issue that will be updated regularly.