Wish I was born in Kerala: Playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada on aftermath of Hema Committee report

Across all states, Chinmayi said, industry bodies have been the biggest failures. “It seems industry bodies prioritise names over members. Some industry leaders in Tamil are openly abusive, yet they continue to hold positions of power. For instance, in the dubbing unions, women report incidents where they are summoned to the homes of a prominent union leader, and they cannot challenge this because their livelihoods depend on it. Even in states without strong political power, there are overarching groups that speak for molesters,” she said.

In Kerala’s case, Chinmayi said she admired how women have come together. “WCC (Women in Cinema Collective) members are my heroes; they demanded the Hema Committee report, and I wish I had been born in Kerala to have that kind of support in the fight against sexual assault,” she said.

“I even had a respected veteran senior once tell me in a lighter vein that even he wouldn’t miss a chance to molest someone. But the untold story beyond these incidents is the impact of sexual assaults – how they ruin our bodies, spoil chances of intimacy with men even in consensual relationships. It’s literally like a man leaving a living dead body behind after the assault. Women develop physical responses to sexual assaults, responses that last a long time, including involuntary muscle contractions during marriage or consensual sex. The fear – wondering from which direction, from whom, the next assault might come – is a lifelong curse,” she said, adding that “in our system, even parents tell victims to stay silent and not speak out”.

Looking at the “pattern of complaints” emerging now in Kerala, Chinmayi said it reveals a clear trend: “the most vulnerable in the industry coming forward against the middle rung. That has always been the pattern, the lived experience. Who will speak about the superstar molesters who can pick any woman they want from the sets? I am sure the top rung is guilty too, but they are insulated – lower and middle rung members are constantly taken through this painful, traumatic process. There were instances where actors named a big star in Tamil, but the accusations were soon retracted… Such names exist in all industries. I believe WCC can empower the system even more. When women in Malayalam name the men in Kerala, we must remember that Malayalam actresses have also worked in other languages, especially Tamil and Telugu. I don’t expect the WCC will empower other states. How much work will one set of women do?”