Report exposes Kerala cinema’s dark side

A lot needs to be done to make the industry safe and congenial for women.

On Monday, a report submitted by the Justice Hema committee, appointed by the Kerala government to investigate charges of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry, was released to the public. It reveals shocking details of the dark world behind the silver screen, where the most outrageous, misogynistic, and criminal attitudes and conduct are the norm. The committee was appointed after a woman actor was abducted and sexually assaulted in Kochi in February 2017.

The case, in which a prominent actor is an accused, is still in the trial stage. A Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) was also formed after the incident, and the report is based on the accounts and experiences of many women actors and others, in many cases supported by evidence. Though it was submitted in 2019, it has only now seen the light of day, after overcoming legal and other challenges. Several pages of the report, which purportedly contain sensitive details of incidents and names, have been withheld.

The report makes it clear that sexual harassment is the most serious problem faced by women actors. They are subjected to coercion in many ways at shooting locations, lodges, and living spaces, among other places. According to the report, those who are ready for ‘compromises’ get a chance to enter the profession, and are promoted. Others are discriminated against, abused, ill-treated, and targeted for harassment of every kind, including online attacks by fan clubs.

Even basic amenities are denied on the locations. There is discrimination in remuneration as well. The report says a ‘power nexus’ consisting of producers, directors, actors, and production controllers exists in the Malayalam film industry. Those who are harassed are afraid of complaining to the police or any authority for various reasons, including threats to physical safety.

The committee says the problems and challenges faced by women in the film industry are different from those faced by women in other industries. It says that the existing laws against sexual harassment at the workplace are inadequate and ineffective in dealing with what women face in the film industry; it recommends legal mechanisms and complaint resolution systems specific to it.

The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government sat on the report on untenable grounds for a long time, even though it revealed many offences, including those actionable under the POCSO Act. It should explore all legal options to initiate action, and ensure that the offenders, however highly placed, are punished under the law. The film industry needs to be cleansed and made congenial for women. The findings of the report may also be relevant to film industries elsewhere, where also there have been complaints of harassment and ill treatment.