Since last week, these words have dominated headlines and rocked Kerala’s thriving film industry in southern India.
Since the release last week of a groundbreaking report that examined issues encountered by women in the business, the state has been experiencing a surge of allegations of sexual abuse against some of the biggest male celebrities.
The 150–200 Malayalam films that are produced annually by this vigorous and dynamic industry have produced some of the most progressive and critically acclaimed films to come out of India.
However, the 290-page study written by the Hema committee, a three-person group, described in detail the issues that women in Malayalam cinema experienced, such as unfavorable working conditions and widespread sexual harassment.
To protect the names of people accused of harassment and survivors, parts of the report have been censored.
The Hema committee study criticizes the cinema industry in Kerala.
Numerous women, some of whom have since quit performing, have openly discussed experiencing sexual assault and harassment in the business since the film’s debut.
A number of male celebrities have been the subject of over a dozen police reports; two of the stars have responded with their own accusations.
The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), the state’s largest cinema group, had its whole top governing body dissolved due to the significant upheaval. The AMMA’s president, superstar Mohanlal, resigned on “moral grounds” after several of its members were accused.
