> > >> >>> " . . . had long been an open secret: that the male-dominated cinema >>> was rife with sexual abuse and harassment." >>> >>> "The report ['which was compiled by what is known as the Hema >>> Committee, named for the female judge who led the inquiry, turned to poetic >>> language to describe the ugly reality among the industry’s stars'], >>> while redacted to protect the privacy of both the victims and the powerful >>> industry figures they accuse, offers damning evidence of widespread gender >>> discrimination and sexual misconduct." >>> >>> >"Exploitative practices, like seeking sexual favors for entry into the >>> field and landing movie roles, were prevalent. Basic safety for women, such >>> as separate bathrooms or changing rooms, was neglected. Gender pay gaps >>> were large, and female actors, technicians, makeup artists and dancers were >>> deprived of legally binding contracts." >>> >>> >"The rot in Malayalam cinema remained under the surface even as it >>> projected a progressive image >>> <https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/25/world/asia/kaathal-film-mammootty-india.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb> >>> and tackled sensitive subjects that mainstream Bollywood and India’s >>> other regional cinemas did not." >>> >>> >“'Their ['The state’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, is seen as >>> having protected the rich and powerful in the film industry by having the >>> report withheld'] inaction since its release and their reluctance to >>> release it in the first place shows a lack of political will to bring about >>> any change,' she ['J. Devika, a feminist historian who studies culture >>> in modern Kerala'] said of the Kerala government. Though wanting to be >>> seen as politically progressive, particularly on national and international >>> issues, she added, it is socially and culturally conservative." >>> ---------------------- >>> By: Pragati K.B. -- Reporting from New Delhi >>> Published in: *The New York Times* >>> Date: August 31, 2024 >>> A report withheld since 2019 has finally been released, providing >>> damning evidence of sexual misconduct and gender discrimination in >>> Malayalam cinema. >>> >>> Even before the #MeToo movement rocked Hollywood and rippled around the >>> globe, the film industry in India’s prosperous and progressive south had >>> embarked on a reckoning of its own. >>> >>> In early 2017, a superstar of Malayalam film was accused of hiring >>> criminals to abduct and rape a female star in a brutal case of retaliation. >>> That >>> prompted the government of the state of Kerala, where the Malayalam film >>> industry is based, to conduct an investigation into what had long been an >>> open secret: that the male-dominated cinema was rife with sexual abuse and >>> harassment. >>> >>> The government promised safer work spaces for women in the industry. The >>> actor went to jail, then got out on bail as his high-profile trial >>> continued. The investigation’s report was completed in 2019 but never >>> made public, and the movement fizzled out before any justice was served — a >>> sign of the widespread impunity in India for sexual violence and harassment. >>> >>> Now, the movement has gotten a second wind, after media organizations >>> and others filed a petition that forced the report’s release. >>> >>> The report, while redacted to protect the privacy of both the victims >>> and the powerful industry figures they accuse, offers damning evidence of >>> widespread gender discrimination and sexual misconduct. >>> >>> Exploitative practices, like seeking sexual favors for entry into the >>> field and landing movie roles, were prevalent. Basic safety for women, such >>> as separate bathrooms or changing rooms, was neglected. Gender pay gaps >>> were large, and female actors, technicians, makeup artists and dancers were >>> deprived of legally binding contracts. >>> >>> In the roughly two weeks since the report’s release, more victims have >>> emerged with more stories of abuse. Some of the most powerful men in >>> Malayalam cinema have resigned from their posts in industry organizations, >>> in some cases because they were directly accused of sexual misconduct and >>> are facing criminal investigations. >>> >>> The #MeToo revival in the Malayalam film industry has come as the country >>> is gripped by protests >>> <https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/22/world/asia/india-women-safety-rape.html> >>> over another gruesome case of sexual violence in the workplace: the >>> rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata after a long shift at work. >>> >>> The release of the report has offered a measure of vindication for the >>> victims and other women who spoke up years ago and faced widespread >>> retaliation, with many struggling to find work, while the accused actor, >>> known as Dileep, remained free and continued on to even bigger hits. >>> >>> The report, which was compiled by what is known as the Hema Committee, >>> named for the female judge who led the inquiry, turned to poetic language >>> to describe the ugly reality among the industry’s stars. “The sky is >>> full of mysteries, with the twinkling stars and the beautiful moon,” the >>> report said. “But scientific investigation revealed that stars do not >>> twinkle, nor does the moon look beautiful.” >>> >>> The Kerala government has faced severe criticism over its handling of >>> the matter. The state’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, is seen as >>> having protected the rich and powerful in the film industry by having the >>> report withheld. While Malayalam cinema is much smaller than the Hindi >>> cinema of Bollywood, its leaders and stars wield enormous influence in >>> South India. >>> >>> The rot in Malayalam cinema remained under the surface even as it >>> projected a progressive image >>> <https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/25/world/asia/kaathal-film-mammootty-india.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb> >>> and tackled sensitive subjects that mainstream Bollywood and India’s >>> other regional cinemas did not. >>> >>> J. Devika, a feminist historian who studies culture in modern Kerala, >>> said that the report would merely be “eyewash” unless it led to justice and >>> change. >>> >>> “Their inaction since its release and their reluctance to release it in >>> the first place shows a lack of political will to bring about any change,” >>> she said of the Kerala government. Though wanting to be seen as politically >>> progressive, particularly on national and international issues, she added, >>> it is socially and culturally conservative. >>> >>> Two news organizations, The News Minute >>> <https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/an-orchestrated-nightmare-a-sexual-assault-that-unmasked-malayalam-cinema> >>> and Newslaundry, collaborated on an investigation that detailed how >>> Dileep, the actor, had gotten away with what they called the “orchestrated >>> nightmare” of the alleged abduction and rape. The news organizations said >>> the case showed how deeply rooted misogyny was, even in a seemingly >>> progressive state. >>> >>> Dileep has repeatedly cast himself as a victim, both questioning the >>> credibility of the survivor’s accusations and minimizing her success and >>> talent. Seven years later, the legal case against him is still pending >>> trial. >>> >>> Since the report’s release, the entire executive committee of the >>> Association of Malayalam Movie Artists has resigned. That organization, the >>> regional cinema’s premier organizing body, is accused of maintaining a >>> silence that enabled abusers. So are several big-name male stars. >>> >>> Female artists have banded together to form a collective that is pushing >>> for a wider investigation into problems in the industry. Their efforts saw >>> that an Internal Complaints Committee, mandated under an Indian law on >>> sexual harassment in workplaces, was set up on film sets too. >>> >>> But members of the collective said that female actors and groups like >>> theirs were left to bear the “unfair burden” of seeking basic dignity and >>> safety. >>> >>> “We are film professionals, not activists,” said Bina Paul, one of the >>> founding members of the collective. “The onus is on the civil society, as >>> much as on the women, to speak up.” >>> Mujib Mashal contributed reporting. >>> Pragati K.B. is a reporter based in New Delhi,covering news from across >>> India. >>> >>
