“The sky is full of mysteries, with the twinkling stars and the beautiful moon. But scientific investigation revealed that the stars do not twinkle, nor does the moon look beautiful”, is the opening sentiment of the Hema Committee report that was recently made public which exposed the dark realities and regressive conditions in which the women in the Malayalam film industry are expected to work.
Five years ago, the committee raised its report to Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The 235-page document is now public and is as crushing as it can get. You see, there can be a world of difference between perception and reality. But sometimes, the difference can be so loud, so horrifying it unsettles you completely. This report is just about that.
It started in 2017. A popular Malayalam film actor was traveling when she was assaulted by a group of men, and another prominent Malayalam actor was named as one of the accused. The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), formed in response, demanded an investigation into the incident and discrimination faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. This led to the formation of the Hema Committee under retired High Court judge Justice Hema along with former actor Sharada and retired IAS officer K.B. Valsala Kumari.
The 233-page report that has been made public reveals that women in the Malayalam film industry work under inhabitable conditions. Without naming the witnesses or the accused, the report details how sexual harassment is rampant in the male-dominated industry where a select few influential male directors, actors, producers, and the ‘mafia’, control everything. You see, they hold the power to ban anyone from the industry if they want to. With great power also comes a great misuse of responsibility and they use their agency to exploit women within the industry.
The committee confirmed that the ‘casting couch’ exists predominantly. It notes, “The women working in the Malayalam film industry are forced to provide sex on demand at shooting locations. Otherwise, they would be punished and harassed by the all-powerful mafia” reported India Today.
“If the mafia is unhappy with any of the actresses, they harass them mentally by repeating the shots of intimate scenes on the set. One actress was asked to repeat a kiss scene 17 times by a director after she had complained.”
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This harassment begins before they even start working when these influential men ask for ‘favors’ in exchange for roles. They build in them a perception that women in the industry do not make it to the top without making ‘compromises’. Some witnesses have audio and video clips, and WhatsApp screenshots to prove this too. During shoots, many women would also feel unsafe in their accommodation as their drunk colleagues would frequently knock on their doors and forcibly enter.
When the committee was investigating, they realized that many women were hesitant to share their experiences for fear of facing consequences. It notes their fears are “well-founded”. What many women and girls have experienced is so extreme that some haven’t even discussed it with their family and close relatives. They are also afraid to approach the police for the same.
“In most of the hotels where they are staying, the doors are knocked by the men working in the cinema, who would be mostly under intoxication”, says the report.
The working conditions are miserable. According to the committee, “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” reported BBC. In some situations, these women even require hospitalization because of this. So, women are not safe and they are deprived of basic facilities too. Can it be worse? An entire industry works on exploitation of its employees and these perpetrators carry on unscathed by anything.
For junior artists, the committee point out how they are “treated worse than slaves” on film sets. Their work extends up to 19 hours without basic facilities like access to toilets or water to drink. They also work under inhumane conditions. In one of the incidents, junior artists were made to stand under the burning sun for long hours without umbrellas, food, or water. On top of this, they are not even compensated fairly for it. How is this fair?
Oh, how we treat our people, how we treat our women! Of late, all one has inferred is that we are doomed as a society. We treat our employees like slaves and women like objects. We don’t like our people, we hate women. There’s no respect for anyone because respect is a privilege reserved for rich and powerful men, the ones who own and run a fractured system, the likes of which exist everywhere.
