Tanushree Dutta calls Hema Committee report ‘useless’, targets Dileep and Nana Patekar: ‘A safe workplace is a basic right for a woman’

She added, “What’s the point of this new report anyway? All they had to do was arrest the accused and enforce a strong law and order system. I remember hearing about the Vishakha Committee, which came up with so many guidelines and prepared pages and pages of reports, but what happened after that? The names of the committees just keep changing.”

The actress went on to claim that people like Nana and Dileep are “narcissistic psychopaths”. “There’s no cure for them. Only a vicious and vengeful man can do what they did.”

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Tanushree further said that she has no trust in the system. “It feels like with these reports and committees, they are just wasting our time rather than doing the real work. Having a safe workplace is a basic right for a woman–or any human being, for that matter.”

Tanushree also reacted to the accused in the 2017 case Dileep still finding work in the industry and people like Parvathy Thiruvothu, who repeatedly raise voice against sexual discrimination, not getting enough opportunities.

She said, “That’s the weirdest thing. There is no compassion. When it comes to actresses, male actors are prejudiced. They look down on their female counterparts as second-class citizens.” The actress said that female actors are expected to “stay in line, behave in certain way, not open their mouth too much, and not complain about anything.”

Calling the #MeToo movement the best opportunity, Tanushree expressed her disappointment in how all the accused escaped because of corruption. “It was an amazing movement, but some people just couldn’t stand up.”

The actress also criticised Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s statement where he claimed that the state is working towards formulating a comprehensive cinema law to ensure women’s safety. She said, “All this is just talk. Action is needed. Who even follows all this paperwork? Even if they come up with a comprehensive cinema law, those who want to break the law will still break it.”

The actress had made strong accusations against Nana Patekar for sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn Ok Please in 2008. However, Tanushree had to face criticism from the entertainment industry as well as some regional political groups of Maharashtra who backed Nana. The actress once again voiced against the veteran actor in 2018 during the #MeToo India movement. Tanushree claimed her career suffered after opening up about the harassment she faced on the movie set.

Meanwhile, in February 2017, a leading Malayalam actress was abducted and sexually assaulted by a group of men in a moving car while she was travelling from Thrissur to Kochi. After months of investigation, Dileep was named as the eight accused in the case. The police alleged that the actor had a personal grudge against the actress and ordered her assault. He was charged with criminal conspiracy among other offences.

In July, Dileep was arrested for being the “mastermind of the crime.” He resigned from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) after pressure from public. After 85 days in jail, the actor was granted bail in October, 2017. In June 2018, AMMA led by Mohanlal reinstated Dileep, which the actor refused. The trial is still underway.

Despite the case, Dileep starred in the films Jack & Daniel (2019), Voice of Sathyanathan (2023), Pavi Caretaker (2024), and Thankamani (2024).