In 2017, when a prominent Malayalam actress was gang-raped–on orders of a famous actor—not much happened. And then everything blew up over the course of a week. The film industry is suddenly at a MeToo tipping point.
The backstory
The ‘casting couch’ is hardly unique to the Malayalam film industry—and sexual harassment has long been the norm in the entertainment business. But in 2017, a prominent actress was gang-raped in a moving car—a crime allegedly commissioned by a superstar male actor Dileep (see: this Big Story). The case shook the industry—and catalysed a MeToo movement—whose effects are visible now.
The birth of WCC: The powerful Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) threw its support behind Dileep. Initially kicked out, he made a triumphant return to the organisation in 2019. The president, Mohanlal—one of the best-known actors in the industry—told reporters: “When the topic came for discussion, no one voiced any disagreement, and many members even spoke in Dileep’s favour.” Furious at AMMA, 18 prominent women in the industry formed the WCC—to stand in solidarity with the survivor and demand justice.
The Hema committee: The WCC also lobbied Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take action against the exploitation of women in the film industry. The government appointed a three-member committee—led by a retired judge K Hema. The committee submitted its report in December, 2019—but its contents were not made public—until last week! Vijayan has repeatedly refused to table the report in the Assembly—and all RTI requests were rejected—in the guise of protecting the privacy of victims.
Point to note: The women in the WCC have since been ostracised within the industry—for their temerity.
Finally, the Hema committee report!
The report was finally released last week. Here’s what it found:
- “[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. Presumably, it's also responsible for the punishment meted out to WCC members.
- The report also confirms the existence of the dreaded ‘casting couch’—and not just for actors. The demand can be made by any man: actor, producer, director, production controller. Sexual harassment remains “shockingly rampant” and that “it goes on unchecked and uncontrolled.”
- Women are unsafe on sets. Actors bang on the doors of their hotel rooms–often forcing their way in. Even minors are not exempt.
- Survivors are so terrified for their safety—and that of their family—many refused to simply be on WhatsApp groups created by committee members.
The quote that sums it up:
Men in industry make open demands for sex without any qualms as if it’s their birthright. Women are left with very little options but to oblige - or reject at the cost of their long awaited dream of pursuing cinema as their profession… The experiences of many women are really shocking and of such gravity that they have not disclosed the details even to their close family members.
Beyond rape: The report documents 17 forms of exploitation of women working in 30 different kinds of jobs. Sexual abuse is just one of them. Junior artistes work in slave-like conditions—for very little pay. They are denied food, water—and even toilets:
There are no toilets, so women have to go in the bushes or behind thick trees. During their periods, not being able to change their sanitary napkins for long hours and holding urine for long causes physical discomfort and makes them sick, in some cases needing hospitalisation
Point to note: The present sexual harassment law requires all workplaces to set up an internal complaints committees. The committee doesn’t think it will suffice in this case:
The Justice Hema Committee report has however indicated that the ICC is not suitable for women in the film industry. It is argued that there is a likelihood of the abuser or the employer influencing ICC members. The committee, therefore, pleads for an independent forum constituted by the government to deal with the problems faced by women in cinema.
The response: While the WCC felt vindicated, AMMA staunchly denied the findings—among them General Secretary Siddique—who offered an extensive defence:
He also denied that sexual harassment was rampant in the industry and said that most of the complaints they received were about the delay or a lack of payment for workers. He said conditions for women had improved on film sets in the past five years and all facilities were now available to them.
But, but, but: Over the weekend, we found AMMA itself is run by alleged rapists—including Siddiqui.
Two MeToo bombshells
MeToo allegation #1: On Friday, Sreelekha Mitra on Friday accused well-known director Ranjith of behaving “inappropriately” when she went to meet him about a role at his flat. The trigger for the furore was the Culture Minister Saji Cheriyan’s response:
He is a brilliant director. If someone raises an allegation out of the blue, how could the government register a case? If it is proved that he is innocent, what will we do? The government is with the victim. But there should be a written complaint
What’s worse is that Ranjith is the chairperson of the state-run Kerala State Chalachitra Academy—appointed to his post by the current government. He has also been protected by the ruling CPI (M) party despite demands for his resignation within the Academy.
The fallout: Ranjith has quit the Academy—denied all allegations—which he claims are “politically motivated.” He is also threatening to take legal action against Mitra. FYI: Mitra is a supporter of the ruling party, as well.
MeToo allegation #2: Soon after Mitra went public, another prominent Mollywood actress—Revathy Sampath—made far more serious allegations about veteran actor Siddique—accusing him of raping her in 2009—when she was very young:
He invited me to a hotel room on the pretext of discussing a film project. I had only a professional approach. But I was trapped and he sexually abused me. It was rape… He slapped and kicked me. I had to run away from there. He is a number one criminal. Some of my friends too had similar experiences with him.
The fallout: Siddique has now resigned from his post at AMMA. While Mitra is not interested in filing a complaint, the other survivor is willing to testify against Siddique.
What’s next: The Kerala government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT)—which includes senior women police officers—to look into allegations made against several actors. These also include former AMMA general secretary Edavela Babu, and actors Mukesh, Sudheesh, and Riyas Khan. It is no longer demanding that the woman first file an official complaint
The bottomline: The Hema committee report was released in the midst of the media maelstrom over the rape of young medical student at RG Kar hospital—which entirely missed the point:
[T]here have been hardly any reports on the conditions under which women doctors work in government hospitals across India. Or, for that matter, women in any other profession. The stories would be similar — lack of basic facilities, the absence of redressal methods to deal with sexual harassment, the lack of safety, particularly when they are required to work at night, among others.
Sound familiar? Here’s another example: A recent study flagged the sexual harassment of tea plantation workers—which is so routine that victims don’t even know its a crime. Whether its a hospital, tea estate, or a movie set, women are raped, killed, abused at a workplace because there is a well-established and powerful system that enables it. Mere outrage will not change a thing.
Reading list
BBC News has the best overview of the Hema committee report. Indian Express has the details of the allegations. The News Minute has a good piece that looks at the blind spots of media coverage—be it Mollywood or RG Kar. WCC member Padmapriya Janakiraman in Indian Express pens a scathing and on-point op-ed on the emptiness of outrage. Also in The News Minute: decoding three different responses from Malayalam actresses to Hema committee report. We did a detailed analysis of the gang-rape that triggered this tsunami. The Wire did a thought-provoking video on the vulnerability of working women.
