Hema Committee Report: WCC Members Meet Kerala CM Amid Controversies, Express Concern Over SIT

Representatives from the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday to discuss issues related to the ongoing controversies surrounding the Justice K Hema Committee Report. The Hema report highlights the alleged exploitation and mistreatment of women in the film industry.

Since a redacted version of it was published on August 19, some prominent names in the Malayalam film industry have been accused of alleged sexual assault and rape. Most recently, the Kerala High Court also pulled the state government for its inaction in reported #MeToo cases and questioned it over why it sat on the report for four years before finally releasing it.

A picture from WCC and Kerala CM's meet surfaces

Actors Revathi and Rima Kallingal, along with screenwriter Deedi Damodaran and film editor Bina Paul Venugopal, were among those who visited the Chief Minister at his office in the Secretariat. Damodaran and others shared their concern over the privacy of the alleged #MeToo activities during SIT's investigation and rehabilitation of the survivors. 

Currently, the WCC is drawing up a Cinema Code Of Conduct (CCC) to be implemented in Mollywood. The proposal includes insurance of cast and crew, contracts for all workers and basic rights for all be made mandatory.

SIT formed to probe #MeToo cases

Last month, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report on the harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry was made public. It contained shocking accounts of harassment, exploitation, and mistreatment of women professionals.

The 235-page report, published after redacting the names of witnesses and the accused, notes that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by about 10 to 15 male producers, directors, and actors who dominate and exert control over the industry. The report of the three-member panel headed by a former judge of the Kerala High Court and set up by the state government in 2017, was submitted to the Pinarayi-led Kerala government in December 2019 and made public only this month. The government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the "harassment" claimed by many women in the industry.