KOCHI: It took around four days for the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) to respond to the findings of the Hema committee report. And when the film artists' body finally chose to respond, it denied any knowledge of sexual harassment in the industry, or the presence of a 'power group' that controls the Malayalam film sector.
AMMA, which fielded its general secretary Siddique, and two yesteryear female actors Jomol and Ananya for the news briefing at its office in Kochi, also denied casting couch in Mollywood though it admitted receiving a complaint in 2018 regarding an incident that happened in 2006.
"In the last 40 years since I entered into the industry, I have not heard of any power group.," said Siddique.
"There was a high-power committee constituted several years back, which included the representatives of all associations in the industry. However, the committee is now inactive. Moreover, no such group can deny the opportunities to any artists. It will not help the industry function smoothly," he added.
AMMA's official stand is in complete variance with the 233-page Hema Committee report, which mentions the presence of a power group that controls the industry and the existence of the casting couch phenomenon.
"No one in the industry has directly complained about the casting couch to the association," he said, recalling a complaint the association received back in 2018.
"We received a complaint from an actress back in 2018 regarding an incident that happened in 2006. However, somehow, we missed checking the complaint. We will be looking into it to address the issue raised," Siddique added.
Though the findings of the report were denied by the association, AMMA also urged the state government to register cases against the accused persons in the report.
"There are some incidents mentioned in the report. As an association for the welfare of the artists, we demand the police identify and register cases against the accused and investigate them. They (accused) will not have the support of the association," Siddique said. The representatives of the 506-member association also urged the government to release the remaining 68 pages of the report.
The artists' association also asked the state government to introduce a licensing system for basic facilities in film sets, among others, and guidelines to ensure the proper functioning of the Malayalam film industry.
"We discussed with the government earlier on the implementation of the recommendation of the Hema committee about fair pay and improving the facilities provided to the artists. We urge the state government to implement the recommendations," Siddique added.
Siddique was flanked by AMMA vice president Jayan Cherthala, and executive members Vinu Mohan, Jomol and Ananya.
