The Kerala government on Monday released the much-awaited Justice K Hema Committee Report which looked into the working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry.
The report released under the RTI Act, after removing 63 pages from the 295-page initial draft, reveals the existence of an all-male power group involving 15 big shots, including directors, producers and actors.
The power group determines who should stay in the industry and who should be cast in films, the report says.
"In the course of the study, we understood that the Malayalam film industry is under the control/clutches of certain producers, directors, actors -- all male. They control the whole Malayalam film industry and, they dominate other persons working in cinema," the report noted.
The Malayalam film industry is heavily influenced by criminals and misogynists, it added.
A group of influential male directors, producers, and actors has been referred as a 'mafia' because they wield the power to ruin the careers of those who speak out against them. The report confirmed the involvement of "major" actors.
"It is brought to the notice of the committee that a prominent actor in Malayalam cinema referred to the powerful lobby which exists in film industry as "mafia", since they could do anything in cinema, according to their whims and fancies and even ban very prominent directors, producers, actors or any other person even though such ban is illegal and unauthorised," the report said.
"No man nor woman dare to utter any word which may offend anyone belonging to the power group, because such person will be wiped off the industry by the powerful lobby," it added.
The report observed the existence of a primitive approach to women in Malayalam cinema and confirmed the existence of the casting couch syndrome in the industry.
"There is a general assumption that women come to the cinema to make money and they will surrender to anything. The men in cinema cannot even imagine that it is because of their passion for art and acting that a woman comes to the movie. But the impression is they are coming for fame and money and they will sleep with any man to get a chance in a movie," the report explained.
The report said that directors and producers often pressure women into exploitative situations. Women who agree to their terms are referred to by code names - 'Cooperating artists.' Multiple statements have surfaced of women compromising their integrity for roles.
Production controllers acted as manipulative middlemen, according to the report.
The report also reveals distressing details about sexual harassment against women in the industry including actors and other technicians.
The report talks about a woman who was abused by an actor. The victim revealed that she had to play the role of his wife the very next day. Unable to face him, she struggled through 17 takes.
"On the next day onwards, she had to work, with the same man, as husband and wife, hugging each other. That was terrible. Because of what was done to her during the shooting, her resentment and hatred reflected on her face, during shooting. 17 retakes had to be taken for just one shot. The director criticized her for the situation," the report said.
Actresses would often face persistent knocking at their doors, with the knocks growing more forceful if they didn’t respond. One actress expressed her fear that they might break in.
The report says the victims of harassment hesitated to approach the police due to fear for their lives.
'If one complains, consequences will be severe... they will be silenced. They even threatened to target families if anyone complained,' the report says.
"If a person thinks that a woman is a problem-maker, she will not be called to the cinema again. Therefore, women who are passionate about acting will be suffering all the atrocities, silently," the report noted.
According to the report, junior artists are told that they will be given a chance in cinema if they comply with the demands for sex. They are told that they will have to adjust and compromise if they wanted to come in to the film industry.
One of the artists stated that WhatsApp groups are created by certain coordinators or managers with both men and women members in the group and are provided an opportunity to contact each other and get acquainted.
Junior artists had no fixed working hours, often from 7 am to 2 am with no overtime pay and no transport provided to return home. The report also said that some junior artists were too afraid to give statements to the committee members.
The report also talks about pay disparities, lack of privacy and basic facilities for women in the industry. The report notes that basic facilities like restrooms were denied to actresses in the industry.
In its initial response after the release of the report, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) said that it needs time to study the report thoroughly before initiating any action.
"We do not know any details regarding the report other than the news that it has been released. As of now, we do not know how it will affect us or what are the questions to be answered. We have been busy with the rehearsals for our show... that is our priority now," said actor Siddique, general secretary of AMMA.
"We will study it thoroughly, discuss it with other associations and respond," he told reporters at Kochi.
The report, prepared based on the deposition of 51 persons however does not name anyone.
The decision to release the report came after a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by actor Ranjini challenging a single judge’s order upholding the State Information Commission (SIC) order to make public the report.
Ranjini who had deposed before the committee had moved the Kerala High Court on Friday, August 16, against a court order permitting its release, citing privacy concerns.
The Hema Committee was formed after the 2017 actress assault case to study issues of sexual harassment and gender equality in Malayalam cinema.
(With inputs from Express News Service)