In 2017, popular TV anchor Johnny Luckose asked Mohanlal, superstar of south India’s ‘Mollywood’ (the nickname for the Malayalam film industry, located in Kerala), about the top gossip of the day: that the actor had celebrated after sleeping with his 3,000th woman. Mohanlal sarcastically brushed it off, saying the number was more.
Misogyny and patriarchy are regularly portrayed and accepted in Indian movies. And it was widely suspected that sexual exploitation was rampant in the film industries all over India; but no one ever spoke out about it publicly. Until a Mollywood actress finally pricked the industry’s bubble of lies and bonhomie.
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Assaulted in a moving vehicle in February 2017, the actress complained to police. Her colleague Dileep (56), a popular but mediocre actor obsessed with stardom, was arrested. The immunity celebrities enjoyed disappeared, rewriting Mollywood’s history.
Kerala’s Left Front government formed a seven-member police team to probe the atrocities faced by women in Mollywood. The actress’s colleagues would not relent and formed the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) in 2017.
Under pressure from the WCC, the state government appointed a committee to probe the sexual exploitation of women actors. Headed by retired High Court judge K Hema, the all-women committee included veteran actress Sarada and retired bureaucrat KB Valsala Kumari.
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The committee finalized a 235-page report that was submitted in 2019 but only made public, after being redacted, on August 19 this year, almost five years later. It led to sensational headlines last week, and to several heads rolling in Mollywood.
This was the first time that the casting couch – a global euphemism for demanding sexual favors in exchange for entry into the industry – was put on record. India’s films are produced in more than 20 cities and regions, in more than 30 languages, but one thing that they all have in common is that no one talks about the casting couch. It is only evidenced by the way their movies glorify patriarchy and misogyny.
The recent fallout
The Hema committee report’s findings prompted further revelations by actresses, throwing Kerala into turmoil.
Director Ranjith, whose movies glorify misogyny, resigned on August 25 as head of the Kerala State Chalachitra (Motion Picture) Academy moments after actor Siddique stepped down as the general secretary of the powerful Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). Both were giant falls.
Actor Mohanlal (64) stepped down as AMMA president on August 27. Following his resignation the AMMA executive committee dissolved – apparently without the consent of all its members. Hailed by fans as the ultimate actor, Mohanlal shied from the media and quietly left.
Mammotty (72), an industry icon hailed as a maha-actor (thespian) by fans, was silent.
Their contemporary, Mollywood superstar Suresh Gopi, pushed reporters aside when asked about the sexual harassment allegations against actor Mukesh. Gopi, whose real-life persona is at odds with his patriarchal and turbulent characters, is a member of parliament of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Kerala. Mukesh is a two-time legislator of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). This has put the CPI-M in a spot, as the clamor for his resignation grows. The actors until a few days ago held unchallenged clout.
“We welcome the committee’s recommendations,” senior actor Jagadeesh, who is AMMA vice-president, said. “The workspace environment should be conducive for both men and women. The working space is important and everyone should feel comfortable in it, without room for atrocities. We should learn from the past and not repeat it in the future. Women shouldn’t suffer anymore.”
What the report says
The Hema report itself, despite its redactions, is horrifying, and an eye-opener. It begins: “The sky is full of mysteries; with the twinkling stars and the beautiful moon. But, a scientific investigation revealed that stars do not twinkle nor does the moon look beautiful.”
The committee “surprisingly” found that certain men also had suffered in the film industry and many, including prominent artists, were illegally banned from working in cinema for frivolous reasons.
The committee found sexual demands made on women for entry and chances to work; sexual harassment; abuse; and assault in the workplace, on transportation, and at places of accommodation.
Actresses also spoke of torture “if they expressed resentment and unwillingness to submit to sexual demands.” The committee found a violation of human rights by not providing basic facilities like toilets and changing rooms at shooting locations. “Women on set don’t have access to water, to facilities to change or dispose of sanitary napkins, are forced to hold urine, and don’t drink water on location to prevent the urge to urinate,” the report reads.
Other findings included bans on individuals, silencing women, gender bias, discrimination in pay, online harassment, and the absence of any legal-redress mechanism.