New Delhi: The report of Justice K. Hema Committee on the status of women in the Malayalam film industry was released on Monday. It has made some shocking revelations. The report says that this male-dominated industry is ruled by a “mafia”, which also includes some top actors. Female artists have to work in extremely difficult conditions.
The committee has said that its members were shocked after hearing the statements of the female actors. The report said that the internal complaint committee formed for each film is ineffective. Therefore, the state government should find new ways to take care of the interests of women in the film industry. The Kerala High Court last week allowed the release of the report with the condition that the name of any artist will not be made public in the report and all sensitive information will be removed.
Actresses testified
The 289-page report states that the film industry’s “mafia” is controlled by a section of directors, producers and male actors. If anyone complains, they are sidelined and have to face innumerable troubles. An actress had testified that she had to take 17 shots with a man who harassed her and this angered the director and others.
Expressed grief over the trend of ‘casting couch’
Another actress said that despite requesting the director several times to tell her about the intimate scenes, she was not informed. When she asked the director to remove these scenes after the shooting was over, she was instead threatened to make these scenes public. The report also revealed that the film industry has a practice of ‘casting couch’, which has the worst effect on those who play small roles – especially if they are looking for bigger roles. If new female actors want a role in films, they have to agree to sleep with people who are in a position to make decisions.
Women producers remain the target of the lobby
The report states that there is a state where female actors come with their family members because they fear exploitation. Further, it is also stated that the doors of actresses’ rooms are knocked at night and if they do not open the door, the “visitors” bang the door violently. Another shocking information is that women have to compromise even for good food at shooting locations. It also states that female producers are also a target of the male-dominated film lobby. In short, the report shows that the glamour of the industry is only superficial.
The report came out after 5 years
There are fears that efforts were made to prevent the release of the report, which was submitted in 2019, which is why it took five years to become public. When the report finally came out, the names and some details have still not been released. It remains to be seen what action the Pinarayi Vijayan government takes on the report. When asked to comment on the report, Siddique, general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists and popular actor, said that he had only heard that a report had been released and he had no other details and hence, it was too early to make any statement.
Tags: Entertainment news., south cinema
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 19, 2024, 23:04 IST
