The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) on Saturday, September 7, proposed the adoption of a code of conduct for the Malayalam film industry and sought everyone’s opinions and views. The Hema Committee was formed in 2017 following a brutal sexual assault on an actress in Kochi, allegedly staged by actor Dileep. It was the WCC that met with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in 2017 and demanded action from the government, which led to the formation of the committee. On its social media page, the WCC stated, “To rebuild the Malayalam film industry as an equal and safe workspace for all, we are commencing a series today with our proposed recommendations. We hope all industry members will come together in open solidarity and spirit to adopt a Cinema Code of Conduct that will help transform our film industry onscreen and offscreen for the better. Stay tuned!” the post said.
The WCC, which has been fighting for years for the report to be made public, had earlier said in a statement, “The order breaking the long and disappointing silence actually gives hope to all of us who have been striving tirelessly for a breakthrough.” It added that the suggestion of implementing solutions without disclosing the findings was a mockery of the system. “We firmly believe that this step (by the SIC) to disclose the findings and provide accountability can be an authentic basis for real solutions, changes and processes,” the WCC said.
The version of the report now available to the public has been heavily redacted to protect the privacy of those who testified and all identifying features, including the names of the perpetrators, have been removed. The report has encouraged many women in the industry to make their traumatic experiences public and sparked another #MeToo wave in Kerala.
The Kerala police have so far filed charges against 11 people, including 10 from the film industry, based on the complaints of women. Those arrested include actors Mukesh, Nivin Pauly, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu and Maniyanpilla Raju, directors Ranjith and VK Prakash and production managers Vichu and Noble. Actor Baburaj, directors Tulasidas and VA Shrikumar Menon have also been named in the complaints but no complaint has been filed against them so far.
The special investigation team comprising seven police officers, including four women IPS officers, is currently recording the statements of the victims who have come forward with their complaints but is yet to question the accused. The Kerala High Court has decided to constitute a special bench with a woman judge to look into the cases related to the Justice Hema Committee report.
Comments
0 comment