Cases Of Sexual Misconduct In Tamil Film Industry Too, Claims Actress Shakeela

After the Hema Committee Report, actress Shakeela claimed that the sexual harassment of women is not confined to the Malayalam film industry, but to the Tamil movie industry too. The actress became a popular figure in Kerala with the release of Malayalam film Kinnara Thumbikal in 2000. It was dubbed in more than six languages and grossed Rs 4 crore at the box office against a budget of Rs 12 lakh. In a recent interview with News18 Tamil, Shakeela asked the authorities to take necessary steps to eradicate such practices from the film industry.

In a recent interview, Shakeela said that sexual harassment is present in the Tamil film industry as well. While comparing different film industries in India, she claimed that the sexual harassment of women is extreme in the Telugu film industry. While signifying the ongoing controversy of the lack of women’s safety in the Malayalam industry, she stressed the importance of strict punishment for the offenders.

Shakeela has expressed her apprehension that issues related to sexual harassment in the film industry should come out across India. She said that the organisations only talk about such issues but fail to take action against them. While remembering the controversial affair of actor Dileep and Kavya Madhavan, the Kinnara Thumbikal fame actress said that no one came forward for actress Manju Warrier who was affected the most.

Shakeela lamented that some people do not speak out about sexual harassment due to family circumstances. She suggested the controlling bodies of Malayalam and Tamil film industries start taking action and find solutions to such problems. “Someone should bell the cat,” said Shakeela in an interview.

The Hema committee identified at least 17 forms of exploitation experienced by women working in 30 different categories within the industry. These include sexual demands made to women seeking entry into the industry, sexual harassment, and various forms of abuse and assault. It also stated that the Malayalam film industry is under the control of certain producers, directors and male actors.