Shabana Azmi on Hema committee report: Women have been this contradiction in India…

Shabana Azmi on the Hema Commission report: Women have been this contradiction in India… (Credits: Instagram)

Veteran actress Shabana Azmiwho has worked in cinema for 50 years, has shared her views on the treatment of women after the film Justice Hema Committee Report.

The actress interacted with the media at the ongoing edition of the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy Awards) and spoke about the oppression of women over the centuries and their current situation in a supposedly progressive society.

Justice Committee Hema

The Justice Hema Committee was formed by the Kerala government after the Women in Cinema Collective filed a petition following the 2017 sexual assault of the actress. The committee documented the challenges faced by women working in Malayalam cinema. The committee was headed by retired Kerala High Court judge K. Hema and also included veteran actress Sarada and retired Indian Administrative Service KB Valsala Kumari as members.

Speaking about the Justice Hema Committee report, which brings to light the harassment faced by women artistes in Malayalam cinema, Shabana told the media stationed at the Abu Dhabi location: “You must understand that women in India over the centuries have had their own journey. From the 16th to the 21st, they have progressed, but they are also suppressed. Women in India have been this contradiction – of progress and oppression, just like India itself.”

The report of the Justice Hema Committee has created a storm in the Malayalam film industry and has created ripples across various film industries of India, raising demands for similar action to investigate the harassment and exploitation faced by women artistes by the men who be in power.

Malayalam cinema

Following the Justice Hema Committee report, several women have come forward and leveled allegations of sexual harassment against notable figures from Malayalam cinema.

In Bollywood, several celebrities including Ananya Panday, Swara Bhasker, Guneet Monga, Ekta Kapoor, Tanushree Dutta, Lakshmi Manchu, Prithviraj Sukumara, Tovino Thomas and Parvathy Thiruvothu have responded to the report, with Shabana being the latest to join Hindi. film fraternity to respond to the report.