Editorial: Mollywood’s #MeToo moment

It is ironic that the Malayalam film industry, known for experimenting with bold themes, should be embroiled in such controversies

Hit by its own version of #MeToo moment, the Malayalam film industry is going through a churn that should, hopefully, lead to moral cleansing and ending the exploitative system. The release of the Justice Hema Committee report last week has triggered a major upheaval as it exposed the sordid underbelly of the entertainment industry with many women artistes recounting their ordeal of undergoing sexual harassment. It is ironic that Mollywood, known for experimenting with bold themes, breaking the glass ceiling and consistently producing some of the finest and high-quality films, should be embroiled in such unseemly controversies. The 290-page report of the judicial panel, formed to examine the working conditions of women in the movie industry, was released last week by the Pinarayi Vijayan government on the direction of the Kerala High Court. The report, highlighting shocking instances of abuse that women have to face on a daily basis, comes as a wake-up call for the entertainment sector across the country. The ordeal that the women artistes face includes demands of sexual favours in exchange for work, lack of basic infrastructure like toilets and changing rooms, pay disparity, coercion to per¬form nude scenes, withholding of remuneration and online harassment among other transgressions. The revelations also provide evidence of the ‘casting couch’ and shed light on the dis-proportionate, cartel-like power enjoyed by the fraternity of male directors, actors and producers. The report delivered a scathing indictment of the sexual abuse and exploitation faced by women in Malayalam cinema.

As a sense of shame shook the industry following the revelations, a string of resignations followed. Prominent scriptwriter and filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan resigned from his position as head of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy. His resignation follows allegations of sexual misconduct made by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra against him. Veteran actor Siddique too has quit as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) amid reports of rape accusations made by a young Malayali actress. The public outcry over these revelations has prompted the CPM-led Kerala government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), including four senior women police officers, to probe sexual harassment allegations made against several actors. It is striking that the findings of the committee, set up after the 2017 sexual assault on a leading Malayali actress Bhavana Menon, and was headed by a former judge of the Kerala High Court, could not be made public for five years. A Right to Information application by 16 journalists and the State Information Commission’s order helped it see the light of day. The panel’s recommendations — framing of a statute and the establishment of a tribunal under the statute among other interventions — must be accompanied by measures like extended legal protection, written contracts, equitable remuneration, gender balance in decision-making bodies and training in gender sensitivity for cast and crew.

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