Khushbu Sundar reacts to Hema Committee report, says ‘should have spoken earlier about abuse by father’: ‘Not everyone is privileged to…’

She wrote, “Abuse, asking for sexual favors, and expecting women to compromise to gain a foothold or accelerate their careers exist in every field. Why is a woman alone expected to go through the grind? Although men too face it, it’s marginally women who bear the brunt.” The 53-year-old actress also stressed on the importance of speaking up. “It doesn’t matter whether you speak today or tomorrow, just speak. Speaking up immediately would help healing and investigating more effectively.”

Khusbu, in her note, asked others to empathise with the victims and not ‘shame and blame’ them with questions like, “‘Why did you do it?’ or ‘What made you do it?'” “Asking such questions breaks a victim”, the actress said, “The victim might be a stranger to you or me, but she needs our support, an ear to listen, and emotional backing from us all.” “Not everyone is privileged to speak out”, she added.

💔 This moment of #MeToo prevailing in our industry breaks you. Kudos to the women who have stood their ground and emerged victorious. ✊ The #HemaCommittee was much needed to break the abuse. But will it?

Abuse, asking for sexual favors, and expecting women to compromise to…

— KhushbuSundar (@khushsundar) August 28, 2024

Taking her own example, the actress wrote, “Some ask me what took me so long to speak about my father’s abuse. I agree I should have spoken earlier. But what happened to me, was not a compromise to build my career. I was abused at the hands of the person who was suppose to provide me the strongest arms to hold me if I fell.”

She further asked men to support the victims and stand with them in solidarity. “Let your voice be heard in the fight against violence and let your actions reflect the respect and empathy that every woman deserves”, she wrote.

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She concluded her post with a message for women. She said, “This should be a wake-up call to ALL. Let the exploitation stop here. Women, come out and speak. Remember, you always have a choice in life. Your NO is definitely a NO. Never adjust or compromise on your dignity and respectability. EVER.”

The Hema Committee report has received mixed response from actors. While people like Khshbu Sundar, and Sanam Shetty have welcomed the report, actors Parvathy Thiruvothu and others have expressed their disappointment in it, claiming they expected quicker action.

The report’s release has led to significant resigntions within the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). The most prominent resignation came from Mohanlal, who stepped down as President of AMMA on Tuesday. His resignation was followed by Vice-President Jeyan R and Join Secretary Baburaj, with AMMA General Secretary Siddique having already tendered his resignation earlier.

The committee was set up after a leading Malayalam actress was allegedly “abducted” and “sexually assaulted” in a moving car while she was travelling from Kochi to Thrissur in 2017. One of the 13 accused in the case was the popular actor Dileep, who was arrested and then released on bail.