The Malayalam film industry has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, with female actors levelling sexual abuse allegations against prominent male actors amid outrage over Justice K Hema Committee's explosive findings of harassment and abuse of women movie professionals.
A report by the Justice Hema Committee, constituted by the Kerala government post a 2017 actress assault case, has revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, sparking a #MeToo campaign, and prompting calls for action against the guilty and causing political turmoil in the state.
Malayalam Film Industry Sexual Abuse Allegations | Latest
Hema Committee Report: The 235-page Hema Committee's report released on August 19, which had testimonies from 51 industry professionals, brought to light the issues of exploitation in the Malayalam film industry, ranging from harassment to exploitation, ill-treatment and other human rights abuses of women. The report also revealed that the film industry is dominated by 10 to 15 male producers, directors and actors who continue to have major control over the industry.
Pressure Mounts On Kerala CM : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, amid mounting pressure on the government to take action against alleged predators in the film industry, held a high-level meeting with senior police officials on Sunday and announced the establishment of a seven-member special team to investigate the atrocities faced by women actors.
Fresh Allegations Against 4 Actors: On Monday, a female actor in Malayalam cinema levelled sexual abuse allegations against four prominent male actors, including LDF MLA M Mukesh, causing more tremors in the film industry already reeling from the Justice K Hema Committee's explosive findings of harassment and abuse of women professionals. In a post on Facebook, actor Minu Munir claimed that four actors -- Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu and Jayasurya -- had physically and verbally abused her on the sets of a 2013 movie.
Malayalam Actor Minu Muneer's Claims: Malayalam Actor Minu Muneer's said on Monday, "..Once as I was coming out from the toilet, Jayasurya hugged me from behind and even kissed me forcefully...After that, Idavela Babu expressed his interest in a sexual relationship with me. Once when I was driving to a new shoot location, Maniyanpilla Raju sat with me in the car and started asking questions about my husband and how I would manage without him here. I told him that he had misunderstood me...Maniyanpilla Raju once told me that I should keep my hotel door open at night but I refused...After this, I wasn't given films...."
Top Director Ranjith, Actor Siddique Resign: The above development comes a day after director Ranjith and actor Siddique stepped down from their leadership roles in a state-run film academy and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), respectively, following sexual abuse allegations against them. Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra alleged that award-winning filmmaker Ranjith had behaved in an inappropriate manner when she came up for the shooting of a film that he had helmed in 2009. Another female actor had on Saturday alleged that Siddique had sexually abused her after inviting her for a movie discussion.
