Kerala High Court on Thursday (August 22) ordered the state to place before it in a sealed cover the entire Hema Committee report, including sections redacted for confidentiality. This order comes while the court considers a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding the initiation of criminal proceedings against the offenders named in the report. The Justice Hema Committee report was released by the Kerala government on August 19, (4.5 years after it was submitted to the Chief Minister.) The 233-page document provides a damning indictment of the discrimination and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.

THE BACKGROUND

  • On February 17, 2017, a leading Malayalam film actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in her car by a group of men. A prominent actor would later be implicated in the case which sparked outrage across Kerala, and brought under the scanner the discriminatory treatment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
  • The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), comprising women actors, producers, directors and technicians, was formed in response to this incident.
  • On May 18, 2017 the WCC submitted a petition to the Kerala Chief Minister demanding an inquiry into the incident, and larger gender issues plaguing the state’s film industry.
  • In July, the state government formed a three-member committee headed by Justice K Hema, a retired Kerala High Court judge, to look into issues of sexual harassment and pervasive gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry.

WHAT DOES THE REPORT SAY?

  • A culture of sexual harassment pervades the Malayalam film industry.
    • The Committee reported the existence of casting couch (wherein powerful men demand sexual favours from women in return for opportunities in films), frequent suggestive and vulgar comments made by men at the workplace, and drunk male co-actors forcing themselves into rooms of women, among other things.
  • A fear of retribution prevents sexual harassment from being reported.
    • Justice Hema writes in the report: “Many who were examined before the committee were afraid to reveal things which they experienced… we realised that their fear is well-founded.”
    • Beyond direct retribution, the report also mentions the fear of cyber harassment, especially from toxic fan clubs, as a means by which women are forced into silence.
  • An all-male “mafia” of influential actors and producers calls the shots across the industry, and wields their power with impunity.
    • “No man nor woman dare to utter any word which may offend anyone belonging to the power group, because such a person will be wiped off the industry by the powerful lobby,” the report says.
  • A male-dominated industry has failed to offer even basic facilities to women, including the lack of toilets and changing rooms on sets.
    • The report says that women staff on film sets continue to remain at the mercy of open spaces or shared bathrooms to relieve themselves, often risking UTIs and hospital admission.
  • Lack of gender parity with respect to remuneration is primarily due to the absence of written contracts.