HYDERABAD: Welcoming the Hema Committee Report in Kerala, women actors and directors from the Telugu film industry, under the banner “The Voice of Women”, on Saturday called on the state government to release the report on sexual harassment within the industry.
The report titled, “Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination in Telugu Film and Television Industries,” was submitted by a committee constituted by the state government in June 2022. Police officers and representatives from the film industry were part of the panel.
Actors Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Manchu Lakshmi, anchor Suma Kanakala and director Nandini Reddy took to Instagram to make their appeal. They said: “We, the women of the Telugu film industry, welcome the Hema Committee report and commend the relentless efforts of the WCC in Kerala, which has laid the path to this moment.”
They noted that taking cue from the WCC, “The Voice of Women”, a support group for women in Telugu Film Industry, was established in 2019.
It maybe recalled that in 2018, the state government was compelled to take action following a protest which sparked a public debate on sexual harassment. In 2019, amid the MeToo movement, the state government formed a committee consisting of police officers and representatives from the film and television industry.