Members of the Mahila Congress attempt to cross police barricades during a protest march outside the District Police Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on August 26, 2024, demanding an investigation into the findings of the Hema Committee report.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The allegations of sexual harassment that have been roiling the Malayalam film industry following the release of the Hema Committee report took on a legal dimension on Monday with Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra lodging a formal complaint against filmmaker Ranjith for inappropriate behaviour, and multiple women expressing their willingness to give evidence to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the State government to probe the allegations.
On Monday, actor Minu Muneer alleged that some of the big names in the industry subjected her to physical and verbal abuse. Those named included ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA and actor M. Mukesh, actor and producer Maniyanpilla Raju, actor and former general secretary of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) Edavela Babu, actor Jayasurya, a production controller and others. Mr. Raju has denied the allegations while the others are yet to react. The allegations against Mr. Mukesh led to protests by the Mahila Congress and Yuva Morcha to his residence in Kollam.
‘Forced to quit industry’
“In 2013, I was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by these individuals while working on a project. I tried to cooperate and continue working, but the abuse became unbearable. As a result, I was forced to leave the Malayalam film industry and relocate to Chennai. I am now seeking justice and accountability for the trauma and suffering I endured,” Ms. Muneer said in a Facebook post. She later expanded on the allegations while addressing the media.
Speaking to The Hindu, actor Gayathri Varsha corroborated Ms. Muneer’s allegations against Mr. Raju. “We were acting in the film Da Thadiya when the incident happened. She had confided in me about the advances made by Mr. Raju back then. But, she did not go ahead with a complaint then. The current atmosphere after the Hema committee report’s publication appears to have given her the courage to speak out. She said she will give evidence to the SIT, and I will surely give a statement if the team approaches me,” she said.
Mr. Raju, speaking to the media, said many such “fake allegations” were likely to come up from people looking to “wring money or those disgruntled at not getting a chance” in films. These allegations should be investigated, else even the innocent persons would be trapped, he said. AMMA joint secretary and actor Baburaj also echoed similar sentiments, after a junior artiste, who chose to remain anonymous, accused him of raping her at his home in Aluva. The junior artiste will also be giving evidence to the SIT.
A young female writer, who also chose to be anonymous, accused a prominent filmmaker of making advances towards her in 2022 after calling her to a hotel in Kollam for a story discussion session. Actors Geetha Vijayan and Sridevika accused filmmaker Thulasidas of knocking on her doors at night during the shooting of a film in 2007, an accusation the filmmaker denied. Ms. Sridevika, in a statement she shared with The Hindu, said she was ready to give a statement to the SIT, and demanded that the AMMA leadership open its eyes and act on these issues.
OPINION: Reality of reel life, exploitation as a structural problem
AMMA meeting postponed
Meanwhile, the AMMA, which has come under tremendous pressure from its own members questioning its lack of a strong stand on the committee report, has postponed an emergency executive meeting scheduled for Tuesday, citing inconvenience of AMMA president and actor Mohanlal.
Amid the criticism over the silence of the male superstars on these issues, actor Prithviraj criticised AMMA for its failures and said the allegations should be treated with utmost seriousness and exemplary punishment handed out, if found true. “Strong actions are required on AMMA’s part. Those holding various positions should resign if allegations are levelled against them. Hope that this is the beginning of a process to clean out the murk,” he said. He also recounted the instances of boycott he experienced in the past.
