Actor-producer Mammootty broke silence on the Justice Hema Committee report a day after fellow actor and former AMMA president Mohanlal held a press conference to finally address the issue, more than a week after the release of the report.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the actor stated that he welcomed the report explaining that the delay in his response was because he was waiting for the AMMA leadership to express their opinions before expressing his own.
The actor also reiterated the stand that Mohanlal took on Saturday stating that no such “power group” as mentioned in the report exists in the Malayalam cinema industry. He added that it is not possible for such a group to exist in the film industry.
“All the good and bad in society will be reflected in cinema too. But, since the film industry is always under the public's scrutiny, and therefore even the smallest of things will become the focus of discussions. Film professionals need to be careful to ensure that nothing undesirable happens in this sector. The government formed the Hema committee to study the industry and submit a report after an incident that should never have happened,” he wrote.
Mammootty stated that he wholeheartedly welcomes and supports the instructions and solutions provided in the report.
He added that this is the time for all of the film fraternity to come together to welcome the suggestions made by the report and help with the implementation of it.
“The investigation into the allegations is being properly carried out by the police,” Mammootty wrote, adding that the full report is in front of the court.
In the last line of his Facebook post he wrote “Ultimately, cinema should survive.”
Both Mohanlal and Mammootty, two of the biggest names in Malayalam cinema had come under scrutiny for not responding to the allegations against the Malayalam film industry put forward by the report. Even after the big M’s broke their silence, none of their responses seemed to have touched the core of the issue.
The release of the Hema Committee report has triggered something similar to the #Metoo movement with several women coming out and raising serious allegations of sexual abuse against noted filmmakers and actors in the Malayalam cinema.
As many as 18 cases have been registered so far against prominent actors and filmmakers including actor and CPIM MLA Mukesh, actor-director and former chairman of Kerala Chalachitra Academy Ranjith, actor and former general secretary of AMMA Siddique and actor Jayasurya.
The Justice Hema committee is the first of its kind in India. The committee was formed by the Kerala government following the sexual harassment of a leading actress in 2017 to look into the working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry.
The committee has identified at least 17 distinct forms of exploitation experienced by women across 30 different categories. These include overt sexual demands for entry into the industry, sexual harassment, and various forms of physical and emotional abuse.
