Dubbing Artist Bhagyalakshmi Says Hema Committee Focussed Only On Actresses: Others Were Overlooked

Mollywood #MeToo: The Justice Hema Committee Report has opened a pandora’s box not only for the Malayalam film industry, but has also stirred a demand to take such initiatives in other film industries as well. The horrifying details of the victims from the report have had a lasting effect on the film industry. Several artists have been sharing instances of sexual abuse and misconduct they faced on the film sets. The latest to speak up on the issue is dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi. 

Bhagyalakshmi criticises Hema Committee Report 

According to reports of On Manorama, the artist alleged that Hema Commission has overlooked a large section of women in the industry in the report. The artist who also heads the women's wing of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) said only the statements of a few women were taken into consideration.

She also called out the committees and said, “Sexual abuse is not the only issue women in the film industry face. They have several concerns, including access to bathroom facilities, and good food among others. They should have alerted the respective film unions and asked them to take the initiative to bring these women together”.

The dubbing artist Bhagylakshmi also slammed the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) and suggested that the organisation which was meant to support female artists is working against their interests and alleged that certain men are making decisions, which aim to undermine the organisations.

WCC founding member on sexual harassment

Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) founding member Bina Paul has spoken on it and said that the shocking revelations of widespread sexual harassment and exploitation of women in the Southern Film industry must be a wake-up call for men in cinema.

She further said, “With this spotlight, social media, you cannot hide anymore. India's southern states, including Kerala have vibrant and popular local language film industries, separate from Hindi-language Bollywood”.