Exclusive | Tovino Thomas says he gave inputs to Justice Hema Committee: ‘They shouldn’t just be punished but we must ensure that this doesn’t happen again’

The report expectedly shocked fans and has now snowballed into a political controversy. In an exclusive interview with Indianexpress.com, Tovino said he was called by the committee to share his inputs on the inner workings of the film industry, which has, especially over the years, gained prominence as the epicenter of progressive cinema in the country.

When asked what steps can be taken to make the workspace safe for women, Tovino said, “Yes I spoke to the committee. This committee was set up only in the Malayalam industry, that’s why we’re talking about things happening in the Malayalam film industry. If such a committee is set up in any other industry not just films, or anywhere in the world, you’d know that this problem exists even there. Now, if people say this happens only in the Malayalam film industry, it is hurtful for me because I’m a part of the industry.

“Not everyone in the industry is going through that or perpetrating that. According to the report, people are going through those terrible things, and some have done that. But not everyone, I want to clarify that,” he said.

 

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Tovino Thomas, known for films like India’s Oscar submission 2018 and Minnal Murali, said perpetrators of such acts must be given a stringent punishment, but the focus should also be on making the workspace safer for women.

“If someone has done such a terrible thing to anyone, be it a man or a woman, they should get the deserved punishment. They shouldn’t be spared, that’s the basic thing to do. They should not just be punished but we must ensure that this doesn’t happen again. That awareness, that education system must be there so that (the workspace is safer for women),” he added.

The formation of the report

On February 17, 2017, a leading Malayalam film actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in her car by a group of men. A prominent actor was later implicated in the case which sparked outrage across Kerala and brought under the scanner the discriminatory treatment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.

The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), comprising women actors, producers, directors, and technicians, was formed in response to this incident. On May 18, 2017 the WCC submitted a petition to the Kerala Chief Minister demanding an inquiry into the incident, and larger gender issues plaguing the state’s film industry.

In July, the state government formed a three-member committee headed by Justice K Hema, a retired Kerala High Court judge, to look into issues of sexual harassment and pervasive gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry. After speaking to multiple women in the industry, the Committee submitted a 295-page report to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in December 2019. However, the report was only made public earlier this month.

The actor was in Mumbai to promote his upcoming Ajayante Randam Moshanam (ARM), along with how co-stars Krithi Shetty, Harish Uthaman, and director Jithin Laal.