Justice Hema Committee Report: Actress made to do 17 takes for a hugging scene with actor who sexually assaulted her

In the witness account, it was revealed that the actress had to act alongside a man who had previously abused her. They were playing a married couple, and she had to hug him in front of the camera. Due to her enormous mental and physical duress, she couldn’t get through with the scene. The report said, “On the next day onwards she had to work with the same man as husband and wife hugging each other. That was terrible because of what was done to her during the shooting, and her resentment and hatred had reflected during shooting.” However, without understanding why this actor was taking these multiple takes, the filmmaker, reportedly, criticised the performer instead.

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The report further stated, “In cinema there is a general assumption that women come to cinema to make money and she will surrender to anything. The men in cinema cannot even imagine that it is because of the passion for art and acting that a woman comes to the movie. But the impression is they are coming for fame and money and they will sleep with any man to get a chance in a movie.”

The report also spoke about how such complaints are even rarer because the survivor is labelled as a ‘problem-maker’ and is often ostracised from the industry. “Women who are passionate about acting will be suffering all the atrocities, silently. To a question put by the committee to this witness whether other women in cinema had the same experience, she said they might have, but they are scared to state their problems openly,” said the report.

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The report, which relied on oral statements of witnesses, also assessed documents, including WhatsApp messages, audio and video clips, which were provided by them. In fact, another shocking revelation was how it is not just ostracisation that prevents women from coming forward with complaints but also the vicious nature of cyberbullying and trolling. With conversations about casting couch also discussed in the report, it provides for a harrowing read about the stark reality for women to make it in cinema.