Mohanlal pleads with audience not to ‘destroy’ Malayalam film industry, claims he was ‘never in hiding’

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has urged the industry not to be crushed by the scandalous findings of the Hema Committee Report. The contents of the report, which exposed numerous cases of sexual exploitation and casting couch in the industry, have visibly shaken Mollywood. The ‘Iruvar’ star, who recently resigned as president of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists), finally broke his silence on the Hema Committee Report and the disruptions it has caused in Mollywood.

Mohanlal urges public not to destroy Mollywood

In an interview with ANNI-The superstar pleaded with the public not to “destroy” the Malayalam film industry. “We request you not to focus all your attention on AMMA. The investigation is underway. Please do not destroy the industry,” he told the news agency on Saturday. He explained that the lives of many people will be affected if Mollywood weakens. “What we all need to understand is that more than 10,000 families are directly related to this film industry. A sense of fear has gripped the industry and many are worried about its future after the recent developments. Please do not join hands to destroy this industry,” he said.

“We welcome the Hema committee report. It was the right decision of the government to release that report. AMMA cannot answer all the questions. These questions should be asked to everyone. This is a very hard-working industry. Many people are involved. But not everyone can be blamed for this. Those responsible will be punished, an investigation is underway,” he added.

The actor also said that the Malayalam film fraternity will cooperate. “We will cooperate in the investigation process. We are here only to set the record straight. I don’t know of any such power group. I am not part of it. I have not read the Hema committee report,” he said.

The ‘Bro Daddy’ actor also clarified that he was not part of any power nexus and was not aware of it. “I am not part of any power group in Malayalam cinema and am not aware of the existence of any such group,” the actor’s statement read.

Mohanlal says he was not in hiding

In a press conference, the actor denied all rumours that he had gone into hiding since the report came out. He said that he had been in different states like Gujarat, Mumbai and Chennai and was also balancing a personal crisis and the post-production work of his directorial debut.

“You all know that I hail from the capital of the state where my 47-year-old film career began and you also know that I am not the one who is good at handling the media. I was not here as I was mostly in Gujarat, Mumbai and Chennai. In between, I had to attend my wife’s surgery and was by her side. I was also busy completing the post-production work of my directorial debut and working with a foreign production team. But now the release of my film has been postponed due to various issues. I have never hidden and I don’t have to do it as you all know. The film industry is just one segment and these things happen everywhere. I have appeared before the Hema committee twice and as an actor and a producer, I have answered all the questions asked to me,” he told the media.

The Hema Commission report, which exposed allegations of sexual exploitation and harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry, has sparked widespread outrage, with several celebrities speaking out about their own experiences of abuse and exploitation.

So far, FIRs have been filed against nine prominent figures in the film industry, including actor-turned-sitting CPI-M legislator Mukesh, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Maniyan Pillai Raju, directors Ranjith and VK Prakash, and production heads Vichu and Noble, following complaints by female actors. Since the report became public, Mohanlal, who served as the president of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes), has faced intense criticism. As the backlash against him grew, the entire 17-member AMMA executive committee resigned on Tuesday.