Amid outrage and shock over the findings of the Justice Hema Committee report on the sexual abuse of female actors by male actors and directors in the Malayalam film industry, veteran actress Radhika Sarathkumar on Saturday claimed that objectionable videos of actresses were secretly recorded on the sets of films.
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The National Film Award winner also stated that on the sets of a film, she saw men watching these clips on their phones.
“I have seen this. I have seen videos of women changing clothes in their caravans,” she told a Malayalam news channel, without revealing the name of the film or names of those who, according to her, watched such clips.
Sarathkumar also recalled how she got ‘very angry’ and warned the person in charge of caravans of a ‘strict action’ if hidden cameras were placed inside the vehicles again.
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“I was very angry. I insisted that I needed to be safe…I said that I did not want the caravan and returned to my room,” she said.
“So, now the onus is on the women. They have to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding themselves. This harassment and ill-treatment of women persists in other industries too,” Sarathkumar added.
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{{/usCountry}}“So, now the onus is on the women. They have to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding themselves. This harassment and ill-treatment of women persists in other industries too,” Sarathkumar added.
Also Read: FIRs filed against Malayalam film personalities: SIT’s work has only just begun
{{/usCountry}}The release of the Justice K Hema Committee report by the Kerala government on August 19, has led to several female actors coming forward with disturbing accounts of their mistreatment by male counterparts. Amid these allegations, the southern state's Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has set up a special team to probe the charges made in the wake of the report.
(With PTI inputs)