Malayalam cinema industry in turmoil as high-level committee report exposes sexual exploitation and inhuman working conditions

By our correspondent

NEW DELHI – The Malayalam film industry is in turmoil following the release of a report by the three-member Justice K. Hema Committee, formed in 2017, that has revealed shocking stories of discrimination, exploitation and sexual harassment of women in the industry. The report, submitted by the committee to the Kerala government in December 2019, was released with limited redactions on August 19, 2024.

The Hema Committee, comprising retired Kerala High Court judge Justice K. Hema, former actor Sharada and retired IAS officer K. B. Valsala Kumari, was formed in 2017 following a petition filed by the Kerala-based Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to look into the issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry. The WCC itself came into being after a Malayalam actress came forward with allegations of kidnapping and sexual abuse against her in Kochi.

The report reveals that sexual favours have been considered necessary in the Malayalam film industry for quite some time now. The existence of a power group that is able to control the entire industry and casting couch are reportedly a game in the industry, as revealed by the report. All these things affect a range of women in the industry including actors, technicians, make-up artists, dancers and support staff.

The report also highlights other inequalities that disadvantage women in the sector, such as the lack of essential facilities such as toilets, changing rooms, safe transport and accommodation on filming sites, which violate the right to privacy, discrimination in pay and the lack of binding contractual agreements.

Following the report’s release, several female actors have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against a large number of actors and film technicians in the industry, reigniting the #MeToo movement in the Malayalam film industry.

The Hema Commission report was made public 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. The 235-page report, published after omitting the names of witnesses and the accused, notes that the Malayalam film industry is in the grip of certain male producers, directors and actors.

The debates that have been stirred up in the public domain by the publication of the report seem to have encouraged many women to speak out about the harrowing experiences they have had in the past. A Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising women police officers, has been constituted to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment against a few actors of Malayalam cinema.

In 2017, a popular Malayalam actress came forward with allegations of kidnapping and sexual assault against her in Kochi. The Kerala police investigation focused 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 WCC.

Since the report was published, a number of women, some of whom have since retired from acting, have spoken out publicly about their sexual assault and harassment in the industry. More than a dozen complaints have been filed with police against a number of male stars, two of whom have also filed counter-complaints.

The unrest is so intense that the entire top governing body of the state’s largest film group, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), has been dissolved after its president, superstar Mohanlal, resigned on moral grounds after allegations were levelled at some members. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. Only a few have spoken so far. There could be more serious problems,” actor Mala Parvathy said in an interview with a television news channel.

The reaction to the initial report is also being closely watched by people in other film industries in the country, including Bollywood. During the #MeToo movement, several women had come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against actors and filmmakers in different states, but few of these have been investigated.

After the report was published, the first public accusation came from Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra, who accused noted director Ranjith of sexually harassing her a few years ago. He has denied the allegations, but has resigned as president of the state’s prestigious Motion Picture Academy. Mitra has filed a complaint with the police. Many of the other allegations echo those in the report, which states that women were repeatedly asked to compromise and conform in exchange for opportunities.

The committee confirmed the rumor that the industry is engaged in the practice of “casting couch.” Unlike other industries, sexual harassment begins even before a woman enters the film industry, as sexual favors are requested by very famous people in the industry instead of being offered roles. Some witnesses provided video clips, audio clips and screenshots of WhatsApp messages as evidence of casting couch attempts.

Many women feel unsafe staying alone in the accommodation provided for them during filming, as drunken men are known to knock on their doors. Witnesses have also attempted to break into their rooms by kicking down doors, the report said. In one particular case, an actress was called upon to perform as her abuser’s wife the day after the incident, causing the victim immense trauma. In an attempt to convince newcomers, some in the industry actively create the impression that successful women have made it by making compromises.

Many of the women the commission investigated were afraid to reveal things they had experienced, for fear of negative consequences. Their fears are justified. The commission scathingly notes that it is concerned for their safety and even that of their immediate family members. The experiences that many women in the film industry have had are so severe that they have not even revealed these details to their immediate family members.

They also rarely approach the police for fear of repercussions from powerful forces in the industry and cyber attacks due to their public profiles. In another example of the climate of fear that existed in the industry, when the Hema committee formed a WhatsApp group with dancers in the industry, most of them left the group one by one after hearing the committee’s intention. The same was true for junior artists, one of the most exploited groups in the industry.

Junior artists are in some cases treated worse than slaves, working up to 19 hours a day. Middlemen embezzle a large part of their payments, which are not paid on time. In the case of a big-budget film, a 70-year-old woman who suffered severe burns in an accident on the set was denied money for medical treatment. Junior artists are not admitted to film organizations.

The absence of a written contract is misused by some to deprive the actors and technicians of even the verbally promised remuneration. An example cited is that of an actress, the title character in a film, who was forced to do an intimate scene. When she was forced to do more revealing shots, she left the sets without claiming the remuneration for the days she worked. But the director insisted that he would not delete the intimate scenes that had already been shot unless she personally came to Kochi.

Junior artists are deprived of minimum remuneration. Assistant and associate directors are paid meagre remuneration for months of continuous work. They are also not given a daily ‘bhatta’ or subsistence allowance. Their work is not clearly defined, while the heavy work prior to production is not counted as work. A witness cited the case of a woman scriptwriter who had incorporated the theme of gender justice in the script, but the director had botched the script so badly that the writer was reluctant to take credit.

The Hema Commission notes that an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) can be ineffective as powerful individuals can threaten or coerce the ICC members to handle the complaint in a manner they desire. It also raises doubts about the confidentiality of information disclosed to the ICC if it is composed of people from the industry, which contributes to the torture of the complainants. The Commission recommends that the government introduce a suitable statute and set up a tribunal to address all the issues faced by women in the film industry.

According to legal experts in Kerala, the revelations in the report provide sufficient grounds for the government to order a special inquiry. Opposition parties, who have criticized the government for delaying the publication of the report, have also demanded an inquiry led by an all-women team of senior police officers. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the government will take decisive action if anyone who testified before the commission comes forward with a complaint against their alleged persecutors.

Meanwhile, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has directed the government to submit the entire commission report in a sealed envelope and sought the government’s position on the action to be taken. The case will be heard again on September 10. The release of the redacted report is being seen as a partial victory by the WCC as it has sparked debate on some of the critical issues it has raised. It could also lead to corrective measures in an industry that is now in the national spotlight for the quality of cinema it consistently produces.