(Trigger warning: Mentions of sexual harassment. Reader discretion is recommended)
“. . . They tell him that if he wants to have the possibility of acting in film and succeeding at the top, he will have to make ‘adjustments’ and ‘compromises’. “
“They (actresses) are asked to have sex. . . “
“In the Malayalam film industry, women are denied even their fundamental human rights because they lack sufficient amenities, such as toilets and dressing rooms. “
A redacted edition of the 295-page report, which had been in the Kerala government led by Pinarayi Vijayan for 4. 5 years, published under the Right to Information Act (RTI) after several rounds of legal battles in the Kerala High Court.
The three-member commission, headed by Justice K Hema (retd), was set up on a petition by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) following the notorious sexual assault case against a prominent actress in 2017.
The Quint presents highlights from the long-awaited report.
Exposing the dark aspect of the “outer shine” of the Malayalam film industry, the Hema Committee reports: “The sky is full of mysteries, with the twinkling stars and the beautiful moon. But clinical studies have revealed that the stars shine and the moon is beautiful. »
The report begins by acknowledging that the majority of women in film were “reluctant to reveal” their traumatic experiences, particularly those related to sexual harassment, because they feared consequences such as expulsion from the industry and/or “online harassment. ” “.
The commission said incidents reported through witnesses include those involving “high-ranking men in film,” adding that the motives for the harassment are structural and have existed from the beginning.
Most of those interviewed for the report cautioned that most men in the industry “believe that those who are willing to play intimate scenes in a film will also be willing to do the same off set. “
The report shows that actresses make it or stay in Malayalam cinema if they do not give in to sexual demands.
One of the survivors told the committee that this “request for sex” can be made through industry insiders: director, producer, actor, production controller or anyone else.
Several women also said that because of this, they were forced to turn down offers under the charge of wasting their long-awaited dream of being an actress.
Survivors also told the committee that industry men filming outdoors would break down their hotel doors.
“In most of the hotels where they stay, the doors are banged by men running through the cinema, most of whom are said to be drunk,” the report says, adding that such banging is neither “polite nor decent. ” , but they are repeated blows. at the door.
This lack of security, according to survivors, forced them to take their parents or relatives with them when they went to the set or set. Speaking before the committee, one survivor said “girls” were called upon to paint as young artists are told they will have one if they comply with “sexual demands. “
Meanwhile, recalling the incident, one survivor said: “The make-up artist called her on the phone at night, threatened her and insulted her with foul language. There is no security in the room provided for your accommodation. The door opens with just a push on it. “
Women artists also spoke of their long working hours, lack of basic sanitation and conversion rooms, insufficient wages, and much more. The long days can be up to 19 hours “continuously from 7 a. m. to 2 a. m. “
The committee also notes that during menstrual periods, women go through difficult times, unable to use water or other facilities, even to replace or dispose of their sanitary pads.
The report tells of an incident in which a young artist suffering from central disorders was forced to get up from a chair and forced to stand in the scorching sun without being given water. He also asked not to come to paint after the incident, according to the report.
As a result, many women drinking water and retain their urine, leading to infections and discomfort, the committee said in its report.
The report then adds the presence of a “mafia” or “power group” composed of between 10 and 15 people, which includes producers, actors and salesmen – all men – supposedly at the forefront of the industry that controls Mollywood.
Unofficial “prohibitions” are imposed on those who can report the disorders of Malayalam cinema or denounce the “mafia” or the “power group”, he reveals. Men are also at risk, the report states.
The report also notes that the “bans” were imposed for “stupid reasons. “All it takes for a user to avoid running is for a group member to hate them, which will lead the industry to exclude them.
These prohibitions are documented in writing, witnesses told the committee. Instead, they communicate verbally, according to a popular actor who testified before the committee.
If women demand a higher wage, they refrain from doing so if the manufacturer cannot afford it, the report adds.
At the end of the 235-page report, one of the committee’s key recommendations to the state government is to identify a court that will deal with all the issues facing cinema.
The commission says the court will consist of a retired district judge, preferably a woman, and that it will be able to appoint any user to “inspect, investigate and report any facts applicable to an investigation. “
The Hema Committee also recommends that film production sets install transient toilets and conversion rings in rooms and a thick curtain that can be temporarily attached to any wall.
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