While the Hema committee report released on August 19 paints a grim picture of systemic sexual harassment affecting female professionals in the Malayalam cinema industry, the allegations of harassment and molestation raised by actors such as Sreelekha Mitra and Revathy Sampath in the wake of the report has put faces to the evil that pervades the system.
However, this is not the first instance of sexual assault allegations in the Indian film industry. One of the earliest major waves was sparked by Tanushree Dutta's 2018 accusations against veteran actor Nana Patekar, which ignited India's #MeToo movement.
In September 2018, Tanushree Dutta claimed that Patekar had harassed her on the set of Horn Ok Please (2008). Patekar denied the claims, calling them false.
Dutta’s allegations triggered a wave of similar revelations, with many women coming forward on social media to share their own experiences of sexual assault and to publicly name their abusers. The #MeToo movement quickly gained momentum, trending widely across all social media platforms.
In October 2018, during the height of the #MeToo movement in India, writer Mahima Kukreja accused Mumbai-based comedian Utsav Chakraborty of sending her unsolicited explicit photos. Kukreja revealed that she had informed two well-known male comedians from AIB about the incident, but no action was taken. As Kukreja shared screenshots of the messages on Twitter, other women came forward with similar allegations against Chakraborty. He later issued a public apology on social media.
Vikas Bahl, the director best known for Queen, was accused of sexually assaulting a crew member in 2015 during the promotional tour of Bombay Velvet.
Singer Sona Mohapatra, Shweta Pandit, Alisha Chinai, and other women accused musician Anu Malik of sexual harassment. Though he stepped down as a judge on Indian Idol, Malik denied all allegations, calling them false and baseless.
In a detailed Facebook post, writer-producer Vinta Nanda accused actor Alok Nath of sexually assaulting her multiple times. Nath denied the allegations and responded by filing a civil defamation suit against Nanda.
Incidents in the media industry also began surfacing. Indian journalist Priya Ramani accused MJ Akbar, a prominent editor and politician, of sexual misconduct. Ramani revealed that Akbar, whom she had admired, made her uncomfortable during a job interview and later harassed her while she worked for him.
Recently, in January 2023, well-known wrestlers including Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat protested to demand an investigation into sexual assault allegations against WFI Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The wrestlers protested for several days, spending nights on the streets before authorities took action against Singh. Singh is now facing trial for sexual harassment, intimidation, and outraging the modesty of women.
