Malayalam film industry needs reforms from within, not cosmetic changes
The real plight of ‘banned workers’ - women who have complained and are now being forced to pay a price through the denial of work - must be addressed
Women actors from the Malayalam film industry and their registered forum, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), have called for reformative action by the state beyond the constitution of the seven-member panel to probe sexual misconduct by fellow male actors.
Women actors and producers HT spoke to after the Justice Hema Committee report was made public on August 19 said a committee to implement the reforms suggested by the report should be constituted for parity of pay, prevention, and prohibition of harassment in Kerala’s film industry.
“The report highlights four distinct issues that women face in the Malayalam cine industry - discrimination, exploitation, sexual harassment and violence, and retribution. The three have to be addressed separately while their intermeshing in the real world or the industry should be recognised,” said J Devika, an activist, and a member of the Althea Women’s Collective.
So far, 17 women have registered cases at various police stations across Kerala naming prominent actors and technicians from the industry. The WCC was formed by filmmaker Anjali Menon, actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, and a few others
The Kerala government formed the Hema Committee (HC) in November 2017 after a massive public outcry over Bhavana Menon’s abduction and rape by senior male colleague Dileep. Veteran actor T Sarada and former bureaucrat Valsala Kumari were asked to join Justice Hema and submit a report examining issues at the workplace faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
While the report was submitted to the government in 2020, it was made public only this year after the Kerala High Court directed the government to release it. Over the last four years, multiple public interest litigations (PILs) were filed by various interest groups, with the WCC being one. “The Kerala Women’s Commission stood by us. It pressurised the government to release the report because it had already been four years since it was submitted,” said Sajitha Madathil, a senior actor who is also a member of the WCC.
What reforms have been suggested?
“Justice is already delayed with the report being released four years after its submission. Reform will begin when apathy ends,” said a well-known producer of more than a dozen films who asked not to be named fearing backlash – in itself a commentary on the dismal state of affairs in the Malayalam film industry.
While the seven-member committee constituted by the government will only probe cases of sexual harassment and misconduct, no agency or government department has been roped in to look into the suggestions made in the report to improve the situation of women in the Malayalam film industry.
Some of the amendatory reforms suggested by the Committee include the creation of a welfare fund by the state to fund movies by women producers, encouraging 30% reservation for women in production-related jobs, scholarships for women who wish to pursue technical studies in filmmaking, transparency in fixing remuneration, and drawing up service contracts that mention remuneration packages for women.
But two remedial actions that could possibly change how the industry functions are the institution of a ‘Grievance Redressal Forum’ for women actors and the creation of a ‘Comprehensive Film Policy’ to be framed by the government to promote and sustain fresh talent - particularly women- to make the industry more gender-balanced and safer.
For lasting change, Sajitha called for wider representation in the redressal forum. “After the allegations against the male actor came to light in 2017 and WCC’s formation, a few industry bodies formed an Internal Complaint Committee (ICC). But it is an eyewash and the ICC was more like paperwork. People working were not even sensitised about its existence.”
The question that people in the government and the industry are being asked is - “Who is going to bell the cat?” How will the reforms be enacted?
This largely also depends on the reconstitution of AMMA - the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists. The 17-member executive committee of the association which includes greats such as Mammooty and Mohan Lal quit taking moral responsibility. While Anjali Menon welcomed their action and said it was the beginning of change, Parvathy called it an “act of cowardice.” “Their first choice of action was to cower into the darkness. They are the ones who welcomed Dileep back into the association after he was expelled,” she said.
So far, neither Mammooty nor Mohan Lal has made a statement on the report. What has taken the industry by surprise is several young actors have also shied away from standing by the women. Dulquer Salman, Fahad Faasil, Nivin Pauly, and the like who have delivered massive hits have stayed silent.
Will this lead to a protracted battle between AMMA and WCC?
“Our fight is not with AMMA. Our fight is against the men and the system who allow for disparity, inequality, and injustice to prevail,” a woman actor who did not wish to be quoted said.
But the truth lies far from this. The report has also thrown open divisions within the film industry. There are 21 associations under AMMA. While the chairpersons of some of the industry bodies have called for punitive action, most fear retaliatory action.
The real plight of ‘banned workers’ - women who have complained and are now being forced to pay a price through the denial of work opportunities - must be addressed, the women actors and activists said. Consultations with the senior actors are sine qua non because the fight is not about women seeking gender equality alone.
At least 17 forms of exploitation experienced by women working in 30 different categories within the industry have been named.
An actor with nearly two decades of experience who was among the first to stand up for Bhavana Menon in 2017 said: “Today, I work in serials. After working in nearly 50+ films, I’m being told I don’t get work because I cannot act well. I got a state award for my very first film. Now, even if I’m treated like a pariah, I’ll find work elsewhere because I have a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University,” she said.
The WCC, though stands vindicated with the report being made public, and said it will continue its fight until a panel is constituted under the labour department of the government for reforms to be carried out. “We cannot wait until the tribunal is set up. We need to build digital infrastructure, a repository, and a database so that our work lasts and has a legacy,” said Devika.
“We laughed, we cried and went through intense struggle in the past seven years since the formation of the WCC to make the industry a just place for us to thrive, not just survive. We will keep at it now. Even if it costs a few more tears and many more films,” Sajitha said.
Deepika Amirapu is a freelance journalist based in Hyderabad.
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