KOCHI: Amid the muck the Malayalam film industry finds itself in after the release of the Hema Committee report, there may after all be a silver lining. History will record this period as the moment that changed the course for Mollywood, making the ongoing #MeToo movement the defining moment — a moment that made the industry a safer and better place for women.
Actor Prithviraj summed up his press conference in Kochi earlier this week thus:
“One thing we shouldn’t forget is that this correction and redirection we are seeing now is happening first in Malayalam cinema, and will be documented in the history of the Indian film industry. History will remind you that this correction happened here first.”
For a start, the Hema Committee recommendations need to be acted on.
“The Hema Committee report will be effective only when the recommendations are implemented. So far, the state hasn’t taken any action except appointing a seven-member special investigation team as more women spoke up. There is a stagnation. The recommendations need to be discussed and implemented,” said Deedi Damodharan, screenwriter and a member of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC).
Perhaps, realising that the entire pubic discourse is focused solely on the sexual harassment angle and not on the much-needed course correction, WCC came out with the hashtag #changethenarrative.
“To women who didn’t have the privilege or the circumstance to say “NO” - it was not your fault. To women who have that privilege - let us create a safe workspace they didn’t have,” posted WCC on their social media handles with that particular hashtag.
The public should also know who the perpetrators in Malayalam cinema are, according to Divya Gopinath, an actor and a member of WCC. “Women including myself are speaking out because these men should be exposed before society. We are continuing our efforts to make the industry a better place to work,” she said.
After all these allegations and movements, when they return to work, the film industry should be a safe place where junior artists and technicians are provided with better facilities, with more women working and a fair environment, she added.
Deedi stressed that more women coming out and speaking against the perpetrators is a fallout of the report. “It’s good that women now have the courage to speak up and reveal their experiences. These people should be exposed and the report has helped the survivors dare to do just that,” she said.
She emphasised the government, just like how they appointed an SIT, should implement the recommendations. “The investigation team was appointed as soon as the complaints came in. The government should act in the same manner while setting guidelines too. That will help the future generations. We need a change in the industry and the Hema Committee was only the first step towards it,” Deedi added.
Actor Revathy, speaking to the media, echoed a similar sentiment.
“We need this change, not for me and you, but for the generation to come. We need change. A lot of amazing artists, filmmakers and technicians have come out of this industry. Amazing films with international acclaim have come out from the Malayalam industry. It’s up to all of us to see to it and ensure that the industry and our workspace is cleaned up,” she said.
Added Divya: “The aim of WCC, the Hema Committee and even the release of the report is to bring in systemic change in the industry. These revelations will also help in that sense. However, more discussions on improvements need to be held.”
let the women speak
The public should also know who the perpetrators in Malayalam cinema are, says actor and WCC member Divya Gopinath
The report will be effective only when the recommendations are implemented, says screenwriter Deedi Damodharan
We need this change, not for me and you, but for the generation to come, says actor and WCC member Revathy