A damning report on MeToo in Mollywood

Researched by: Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani

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A damning report on MeToo in Mollywood

About the lead image: It’s a still from the 2019 film ‘Safe’—which is about an IPS officer who deals with several roadblocks while investigating a sexual abuse case.

The context: Malayalam superstar Dileep is accused of commissioning the rape of an actress in 2017. He blamed her for the collapse of his first marriage. Soon after the assault, the government appointed a three-member committee—led by a retired judge K Hema—to investigate sexual abuse in Mollywood. The committee submitted its report in December 2019—but the government refused to make its contents public… until yesterday! This Big Story is a must-read if you don’t know about the Dileep case. FYI: he was arrested in July 2017—but is out on bail and still making movies.

What happened now: The 235-page report is based on extensive interviews with industry professionals.

One: It reveals an industry dominated by cabal of men:

[T]he Malayalam film industry is under the clutches of certain male producers, directors and actors, whom a prominent actor referred to as a “mafia”, as they could ban anyone from the industry.

This “power group” prevents producers from casting those who reject their demands—and blocks their movies.

Two: The report also confirms the existence of the dreaded ‘casting couch’—and not just for actors: “The offer to act or for doing any other job in cinema comes to a woman coupled with demand for sexual favours.” And the demand can be made by anyone: “actor, producer, director, production controller or any other person and a woman must be willing to surrender to their demands.”

Three: Women are unsafe on sets—and in their hotel rooms. One survivor was forced to “act as the wife of her abuser the very next day of the incident, causing the victim immense trauma.” Even minors are not exempt.

Four: Women are so terrified for their safety—and that of their family—many refused to simply be on WhatsApp groups created by committee members.

Five: The exploitation of women extends far beyond sexual assault:

Junior artists are in some cases “treated worse than slaves” with work extending up to 19 hours. Intermediaries misappropriate a good part of their payments, which are not given on time. In the case of a big budget movie, a 70-year-old woman who sustained serious burns due to an accident in the set was not provided any money for medical treatment.

Reading list: The Hindu offers a good summary—but The News Minute has the most detailed reporting—including this piece on the hints of minor abuse.

Moving on to Tamil Nadu: A 13-year-old girl was sexually assaulted—at a fake cadet camp organised by a private school. The accused allegedly told the school that the camp would greatly improve its chances of becoming a unit of the National Cadets Corps (NCC)—the youth wing of India’s armed forces. Management organised a four-day camp with 41 students, including 17 girls. The child was raped during one of the night shifts.

School management did not conduct a background check on the man—who had pulled the same scam on other schools. They did not send teachers to accompany the children. And when the child reported the rape—they tried to hush it up. Indian Express and The Hindu have the details.

An RG Kar update: Striking doctors want a special law to protect healthcare workers—but the union government is unlikely to support the demand. But it is willing to increase security at hospitals and set up a panel to recommend new guidelines. Meanwhile in Kolkata, many women groups are furious at the set of 17 guidelines issued by the Bengal government—including minimising night shifts for women. The Telegraph has that story.

The missing Hindu migrants

According to a new Pew study, only 5% (7.6 million) of migrants around the world are Hindu. Even more interesting: “Even though India is home to 94% of the world’s Hindus, it is the source of only 57% of the world’s Hindu migrants.” Also: Most Indian migrants in other parts of the world are minorities:

Christians, for example, make up 2% of India’s population but an estimated 16% of those who were born in India and now reside elsewhere… [Muslims] are much more likely than people in the country’s Hindu majority to emigrate. Although India’s population is only 15% Muslim, an estimated 33% of all India-born migrants are Muslim.

NewsLaundry has more data points—and or you can read the original Pew report.

New revelations about the infamous MBS

The Crown Prince is infamous for imprisoning—even killing—his detractors (see: Jamal Khashoggi). And he has spent billions on restoring his reputation—which will not be helped by a new BBC documentary. Based on interviews with friends, aides, and western spies, it reveals a startling detail: In 2015, he allegedly forged the signature of his father Salman on a royal decree—to authorise Saudi Arabia’s war on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Reminder: MBS was not the heir apparent at that time—only the defence minister.

Also this: According to the documentary, he blackmailed the crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef into stepping down—by threatening to expose his addiction to painkillers.

BBC News has lots more tea on the most powerful prince in the world.

Meanwhile, in Israel: Secretary of State Antony Blinken claims that Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a White House “bridging” proposal—to close the gap between both sides—and seal a ceasefire. Hamas met the claim with scepticism—which was vindicated when Bibi did not even mention the proposal—in his remarks. Though in a typical show of good faith, the IDF killed 35 residents of Gaza in airstrikes. And Hamas improved matters by claiming credit for a suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv. Mercifully, no one was killed. (New York Times)

Meanwhile in New Delhi: Prime Minister Modi will do his bit for peace—and visit Ukraine on August 23. It’s the first visit by an Indian PM in 30 years. The Hindu has more.

Google has a Pixel problem

The company’s new smartphone is in all sorts of trouble. First, a security firm revealed that it has an embedded third-party app—which makes the phone vulnerable to attackers: “The feature appears intended to give employees at stores selling Pixel phones and other models deep access to the devices so they can demonstrate how they work.” It has been there for years—and can be “activated to allow remote control or spying on users.”

Google’s response was less than reassuring. It did not respond when first contacted by the security firm—and now says it will issue an update to remove the application “out of an abundance of precaution. Washington Post (splainer gift link) has that story.

There is more: Leaked screenshots also show Google has been bullying influencers—into exclusively promoting the new Pixel phones:

By opting into this program, do you acknowledge that you are expected to feature the Google Pixel device in place of any competitor mobile devices? Please note that if it appears other brands are being preferred over the Pixel, we will need to cease the relationship between the brand and the creator.

Basically, it forces those who review tech products to choose between “access and integrity.” Mercifully, Google hasn’t gotten around to threatening journos yet. The Verge has more on how the company is pissing off influencers.

what caught our eye

business & tech

Pakistanis have been dealing with slow internet speeds for weeks—without any clarity on what the cause may be.
X has a major advertising problem—the Elon Musk-owned social media platform’s ad revenue has dropped by $238 million this year so far.
An AI-related good read: Wall Street Journal reports on global issues with Worldcoin, a lesser known aspect of Sam Altman’s business empire.
South Korea’s plan to introduce AI-powered digital textbooks in schools has provoked a backlash from parents, concerned about overexposure to devices.
Amazon is considering moving Amazon Pay to a standalone app in India in order to boost its usage.
An AI-related good read coming out of the UK: Politico reports on how former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s big bet on AI could influence the Keir Starmer-led Labour government’s policies.
In a challenge to AI chip manufacturer Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) agreed to buy server maker ZT Systems in a cash-stock deal valued at $4.9 billion.
The Onion is going back into print—over a decade since it became digital-only.

sports & entertainment

NBC News has a good read on the role played by ‘Ketamine Queen’ drug dealer Jasveen Sangha in the death of ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry in October 2023.
Remember those temporary ACs in the Paris Olympics Village? They will now be used for Paralympic athletes before being refurbished and reused by the supplier.
Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma clinched the Tour de France Femmes title—the first of her career.
Comic book writer Garth Ennis—best known for ‘The Boys’—has written a screenplay adapting another one of his comics, known as ‘Crossed’.
The signature fedora seen in the ‘Indiana Jones’ films has sold for a whopping figure of $630,000 at a film props auction.
New York Times (splainer gift link) has a good read on the power of the perfect TV hate-watch.

as for the rest

The Economic Survey 2023-24 has revealed that India has a major obesity and unhealthy lifestyle problem.
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi was allegedly beaten by prison guards after leading an anti-death penalty protest.
Tourists visiting beaches in central Japan have been facing dolphin attacks every summer in recent years.
New York City’s mayor Eric Adams had to apologise after confusing India with Pakistan during an Indian Independence Day event over the weekend.
The online far-right has been spreading false claims of attacks on Hindus and other religious minorities by the Muslim majority in Bangladesh.
Chinese and Philippine ships reportedly collided during a confrontation near a disputed area in the South China Sea.
While it remains a popular tourist destination, Sicily is struggling with a drought—which is especially damaging for its farming sector.
Over 400 homes have been evacuated in Northern Ireland in order to safely remove a suspected World War II-era bomb.
After 49 migrant workers were killed in a deadly fire in Kuwait, the government’s response focused more on building violations than on the rights of migrants.
The Guardian has a good read on the new TikTok trend of being “demure”.

Four things to see

One: Donald Trump has been obsessing over Kamala Harris’ TIME Magazine cover. He first claimed she looked as “beautiful” as Melania—which made him the butt of many memes. So Donald being Donald decided to keep digging… (The Independent)

Two: Tesla’s new Cybertruck has been getting a lot of hate lately—also the wrong kind of love. A Chechen warlord showed off his new truck—with a lil somethin’ special—a machine gun! Worse, he claims to have received it as a gift from founder Elon Musk—who staunchly denies it. The really bad news: The guy plans to take it into battle against the Ukrainians—which is definitely not the PR Musk or Tesla needs. (The Times UK, paywall, CNN)

Three: In happier news, Ying Ying is now the oldest panda to give birth to cubs that were conceived naturally. The 19-year-old panda and her mate Le Le have been trying for 13 years—and are now proud parents to twins! The reserve released this rare footage of the moment of birth—which you can see below. (New York Times)

Four: Behold Vicky Kaushal as Sambhaji Maharaj—the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji—in this teaser-trailer for ‘Chhaava’. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna and Akshaye Khanna. The film releases in theatres on December 6—when it may or may not bomb. Hindutva-laced movies have not done well lately. Just ask poor Akki. (Moneycontrol)