‘It’s not just about Malayalam film industry, but every industry’: TM Krishna on Justice Hema Committee report, stresses truth needs to come out

Also Read | What Justice Hema Committee report says, why its release was delayed

“I am so glad this report came out, even if late. I hope similar confidential reports are made, confidential in terms of protecting the identities of those who share their stories. We men fundamentally need to change. There is a lack of humanity, self-reflection, and arrogance of gender and sexuality that we need to shed. We are the perpetrators of this violence, the caretakers, excuse-givers, and the fountainhead of the violence, and that has to change. It will only change when we change the way we run our schools, when teachers change, and when discourses in classes change. Only then may a cultural shift happen. No set of rules or reports will change anything. It is solved on the ground when we change. Efforts have to be made for sensitization, understanding, breaking, and removing all old notions of purity. Women and people of multiple sexual preferences and genders are the ones affected by the dangerous notion of purity,” he added.

Back in 2018, Krishna had told Scroll that harassment in Indian classical art circles is an open secret. “Whispers and accounts [of such incidents] have been doing the rounds for a very long time,” Krishna told Scroll.in. “The truth is that all of us, including myself, have kept quiet and allowed for the ‘normalisation’ of such behaviour. We even went a step further and blamed the women for whatever may have happened. I am ashamed that I did not stand up for the women who I knew were abused. We have to stop elevating musicians and gurus to the status of demi-gods.”

Also Read | Tovino Thomas accepts he gave inputs to Justice Hema Committee, says ‘hurt’ to see only Malayalam industry being targeted

Key takeaways from the report:

A culture of sexual harassment pervades the Malayalam film industry. The Committee reported the existence of casting couch (wherein powerful men demand sexual favours from women in return for opportunities in films), frequent suggestive and vulgar comments made by men at the workplace, and drunk male co-actors forcing themselves into rooms of women, among other things.

A fear of retribution prevents sexual harassment from being reported. Justice Hema writes in the report: “Many who were examined before the committee were afraid to reveal things which they experienced… we realised that their fear is well-founded.” Beyond direct retribution, the report also mentions the fear of cyber harassment, especially from toxic fan clubs, as a means by which women are forced into silence.

An all-male “mafia” of influential actors and producers calls the shots across the industry, and wields their power with impunity. “No man nor woman dare to utter any word which may offend anyone belonging to the power group, because such a person will be wiped off the industry by the powerful lobby,” the report says.

A male-dominated industry has failed to offer even basic facilities to women, including the lack of toilets and changing rooms on sets. The report says that women staff on film sets continue to remain at the mercy of open spaces or shared bathrooms to relieve themselves, often risking UTIs and hospital admission.

Lack of gender parity with respect to remuneration is primarily due to the absence of written contracts.