‘I Walked Out Of The Movie’

‘The
media
is
portraying
the
Malayalam
film
industry
as
the
worst
place,
but
that’s
not
true.’

Chickens
have
seemingly
come
home
to
roost
for
molesters
with
more
women
coming
forward
to
recount
their
ordeal,
days
after
the
landmark
Hema
Committee
report
which
highlighted
the
atrocities
against
women
in
the
Malayalam
film
industry
was
made
public.

On
Sunday,
veteran
actor
Siddique
resigned
as
the
general
secretary
of
the
Association
of
Malayalam
Movie
Artistes
(AMMA)
after
a
prominent
actor
alleged
that
he
raped
her
at
a
young
age.

Later
in
the
day,
Director
Ranjith


resigned
from
his
post
as
the
chairman
of
the
Kerala
Chalachitra
Academy
after
Bengali
actor
Sreelekha
Mitra
alleged
he
misbehaved
with
her
in
2009.

While
Mitra
declined
to
comment,
multiple
women
film
personalities
that

Business
Standard
spoke
to
indicated
that
the
report,
the
first
of
its
kind
in
India,
will
lead
to
a
cleansing
of
the
industry.
Many
other
women
film
workers
revealed
the
assaults
they
have
endured.

The
findings
of
the
three-member
panel
—
consisting
of
former
high
court
judge
Justice
Hema,
veteran
actor
Sharada
and
retired
civil
service
officer
K
B
Valsala
Kumari
—
have
raised
several
eyebrows.

The
290-page
report
noted
that
the
industry
is
dominated
by
a
mafia
of
powerful
men
and
that
sexual
harassment
of
women
is
rampant.

The
report
also
notes
that
the
working
conditions
for
women
in
the
industry
are
terrible
with
no
proper
toilets
or
changing
rooms
for
junior
artistes.

It
also
highlights
a
significant
wage
disparity
between
men
and
women
doing
the
same
work,
and
no
accommodation
or
transport
facilities.

The
panel
was
formed
after
the
sexual
assault
on
a
leading
actress
in
February
2017.

When
contacted
by

Business
Standard,
one
of
the
film
personalities
revealed
that
a
leading
director
asked
her
for
adjustments
(a
term
used
for
sexual
favours)
when
she
was
16
years
old.

“I
walked
out
of
that
movie.
He
threatened
me
that
I
would
not
be
in
the
film
industry.
Many
years
later,
in
2013,
the
same
director
approached
me
for
work,
and
my
answer
was
again
a
firm
no.
Women
should
be
powerful
too,”
she
said.

Actor,
film-maker,
and
one
of
the
founding
members
of
the
Women
in
Cinema
Collective
(WCC),
Revathy,
expressed
hope
that
the
report
would
revolutionise
Indian
cinema.

The
WCC
is
widely
appreciated
for
changing
the
perspective
of
Malayalam
cinema
towards
women
after
the
actress’s
assault
case.
Revathy
noted
that
the
wage
difference
between
female
and
male
makeup
artists
doing
the
same
work
was
50
per
cent.

“This
is
a
workplace,
and
we
are
an
internationally
famous
industry.
But
we
need
a
safe
workplace.
That’s
why
this
report
is
important.
This
is
not
to
accuse
or
blame
someone,
but
to
provide
a
platform
for
women
to
open
up,”
Revathy
told

Business
Standard.

Revathy
said
the
way
women
are
treated
should
change.

“People
are
asked
to
leave
sets
after
working
for
three
to
four
days.
It
is
also
about
sensitising
men
and
empowering
women.
We
need
to
have
a
proper
internal
complaints
committee,”
she
said.

Kerala
Chief
Minister
Pinarayi
Vijayan
has
vowed
that
the
assaulters,
no
matter
how
powerful,
will
be
brought
to
book.

On
Thursday,
a
public
interest
petition
was
filed
in
the
Kerala
high
court,
seeking
criminal
proceedings
against
those
accused
in
the
report.
The
high
court
has
asked
the
government
to
submit
the
full
version
of
the
report.

“I
have
been
jobless
for
the
last
five
years
for
supporting
the
victim
in
the
actress
assault
case.
The
entire
film
industry
and
his
association
were
with
him.
Only
the
WCC
and
people
like
me
stood
by
the
victim
in
that
rape
case.
I
thought
someone
would
reveal
names
in
the
public
through
the
Hema
Committee
report,
at
least
someone
from
the
WCC,”
veteran
dubbing
artist
Bhagyalakshmi
told

Business
Standard.

“Interestingly,
the
media
is
portraying
the
Malayalam
film
industry
as
the
worst
place,
but
that’s
not
true.
The
industry
is
not
anti-woman,”
she
added.

Another
actor
said:
“Do
not
trust
what
you
see;
even
salt
looks
like
sugar!”

Meanwhile,
the
Kerala
government
has
formed
a
seven-member
special
team
to
probe
the
atrocities
faced
by
women
in
the
film
industry.
The
decision
was
taken
after
a
high-level
meeting
of
senior
police
officials
was
called
by
the
chief
minister.

The
CM’s
office
said
the
team
will
be
headed
by
IG
G
Sparjan
Kumar
and
will
include
four
senior
women
IPS
officers
of
the
state.

With
agency
inputs