Hema Committee Report Explained: 17 Forms Of Exploitation Faced By Women In Mollywood

#MeToo In Mollywood: Hema Committee Report has created an uproar in the Malayalam film industry with several veteran actors and directors, including Ranjith, Siddique and Mukesh M, being accused of sexual misconduct. The 235-page document, initially submitted to the government in 2019, exposes a culture of sexual exploitation and disregard for women's rights in Mollywood. It also sheds light on the practices like casting couch, where women are pressured into offering sexual favours to bag a movie offer.  

Apart from sexual misconduct, the three-member committee consisting of retired High Court Justice K. Hema, former actress Sharada, and retired IAS officer K.B. Valsala Kumari, found out that women also faced gender disparity in the film industry. Particularly, remuneration and basic workplace safeguards. “In the course of the study, we understood that the Malayalam film industry is under the control of certain producers, directors, and actors—all male. They control the whole Malayalam film industry and they dominate other persons working in cinema,” the report states.

The committee identified around 17 forms of exploitation experienced by women artists from different departments in the industry.

17 issues faced by women working in the Malayalam film industry

According to the report, women actors who are ready to compromise are given code names, and those who are not ready to compromise are pushed out of the field. The panel report also alleged that the Malayalam film industry is under the control of a “criminal gang.” It categorically mentioned that the police should register FIRs against crimes that are being committed in the industry, and many are not coming out fearing for their lives. It further stated that anyone who does anything that upsets the 'mafia group' that controls Malayalam cinema is unofficially banned from the industry. 

Among the 17 forms of exploitation experienced by women artists are listed below:

• A lack of basic facilities for women, including toilets and changing rooms at places of work.
• Women lack safety at their workplace and accommodation.
• The use of drugs and alcohol, disorderly conduct and misbehaviour at the place of work by men lead to gross indiscipline.
• Being subject to demeaning or vulgar comments at places of work.
• The non-execution of contracts between employer and employee to suit individual requirements.
• The failure to pay the agreed remuneration.
• Disparity of remuneration between men and women, and gender discrimination in remuneration.
• Resistance/reluctance to allow women to work on the technical side of cinema.
• Online harassment.
• Lack of legal awareness about their own rights.
• The absence of any legally constituted authority to redress their grievances.