Top Indian actors under scrutiny as new wave of sexual abuse allegations rock film industry

Several women have come forward after fact-finding study commissioned by government finds ‘sexual harassment remains shockingly rampant’ in Malayalam cinema industry

Women in one of India’s key film industries have triggered their own MeToo movement after a government fact-finding committee discovered rampant sexual harassment.

The Malayalam language film industry is under intense scrutiny after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report – a 296-page study commissioned by the Kerala government in 2017 to investigate conditions for women in the industry.

The report is focused both on commercial and independent cinema made in the Malayalam language, widely spoken in the southern state of Kerala.

A female actor who primarily works in the Bengali language film industry in the eastern state of West Bengal filed a complaint against celebrated Malayalam film director Ranjith, after she revealed on 24 August that he had touched her inappropriately and made unsolicited sexual advances.

A day after she came forward another female actor, who works in the Malayalam film industry, accused veteran Malayalam actor Siddique – who is also the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) – of sexual misconduct.

What did the committee find?

The committee, headed by a former judge of the Kerala High Court, submitted their report to the government in December 2019, which was finally made public on 19 August after several legal challenges.

The committee was set up after the sexual assault of a prominent female actor. The actor was kidnapped and assaulted by a group of men while travelling from Thrissur to Kochi in February 2017. Dileep, one of the biggest male actors from the industry, who had been in multiple films with the female actor, was named as an accused and charged with criminal conspiracy. He was released on bail, and the case remains on hold.

The report, which was filed after interviews with at least 80 women, states that the Malayalam film industry “is controlled by a group of male actors, producers, distributors, exhibitors and directors who have gained enormous fame and wealth”.

“No man nor woman dare to utter any word which may offend anyone belonging to the power group, because such persons will be wiped off the industry by the powerful lobby.”

The committee reportedly found evidence that proved that not only is “sexual harassment remains shockingly rampant” it also “goes on unchecked and uncontrolled”.

“Men in industry make open demands for sex without any qualms as if it’s their birthright. Women are left with very little options but to oblige – or reject at the cost of their long awaited dream of pursuing cinema as their profession.”

Women who enter the industry are told to make ”adjustments” and ”compromise” and be available for “sex on demand”, the report said.

Women at film shootings that required overnight stay were at risk of assault if they did not have a family member with them as men entered their rooms “by force”, the report stated.

“That knocking will not be polite or decent but, they repeatedly bang at the door, by force. On many occasions, they felt that the door would collapse and men would make an entry into the room by force. So unless women take somebody from the family when they go for work, they fear that they will not be safe at the workplace.”

The report also found that the fear of retribution kept women from speaking up; the women were also afraid of being harassed online by incredibly toxic fan clubs.

“The experiences of many women are really shocking and of such gravity that they have not disclosed the details even to their close family members.”

In addition, the industry did not offer women actors and technicians basic facilities such as toilets and changing rooms, pay parity, food, or even basic transport or accommodation, it said.

“There are no toilets, so women have to go in the bushes or behind thick trees. During their periods, not being able to change their sanitary napkins for long hours and holding urine for long causes physical discomfort and makes them sick, in some cases needing hospitalisation,” it said.

The report found that women stayed quiet out of the fear of retribution, not just from the stars but also their incredibly toxic fan clubs (AFP via Getty Images)

Members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), whose petition to the government after the 2017 assault contributed to the formation of the committee, said that they had trouble finding work since they began demanding better working conditions for women on sets.

“Ever since I reported the incident, I was systematically deprived of work in the industry. The deposition before the committee only worsened the boycott, to the point that I had to leave the film industry,” a 32-year-old woman actor told Indian news daily The Indian Express.

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) denied all allegations, with Siddique saying: “There is no such power lobby. No lobby can control the cinema in any manner. How can an industry function if there’s a group controlling all aspects? If there was such a power group, then there would not be good cinema.

“Ever since the report came out, there have been accusations generalising the entire Malayalam film industry and its people as bad, which is hurtful. Every job sector has issues but nobody comes up with remarks blemishing the entire sector.”

What was the outcome of the report?

Since the release of the report, several other women have come forward with sexual harassment allegations. A total of 17 cases have been registered naming some of the Malayalam film industry’s biggest and most celebrated stars.

The Bengali actor recalled meeting Ranjith, 59, in 2009 over discussions for a role in a film he was directing, after which he allegedly sexually harassed her.

“During the course of discussion, he clutched my hand and later on attempted to spread his hand to other parts of my body with sexual intention. Realising that his intentions are not the discussion regarding the film and with sexual intent, I had to escape from the flat and returned to the hotel where I was staying,” she wrote in an email to the police.

Ranjith denied the allegations, calling them baseless and politically motivated. “They have been making up allegations against me since the time I took up the post. I will be moving legally. I need to prove my innocence before the public. The truth will come out one day,” he said. He has resigned from his position as chairperson of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy, claiming moral responsibility for the situation, and the police registered a case against him on 26 August following the complaint.

In an interview with news agency ANI, the Malayalam actor described meeting Siddique, 61, when she was 21. He asked to meet her using the pretext of discussing a film role.

“Everything looked professional at first ... after some discussion, all of a sudden his conversation turned sexual and by the time I realised it was a trap, the door was locked ... I was helpless and I was scared,” she said.

A female actor accused Malayali actor Siddique of sexually assaulting her when she was 21, on the pretext of discussing a film (Siddique/Instagram)

In response, Siddique resigned as AMMA’s general secretary on Sunday and filed a complaint with the Kerala Police against the female actor, stating that there was a “criminal conspiracy to fabricate and spread false and scandalous allegations against him”.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Siddique on 28 August for for rape and criminal intimidation, both non-bailable clauses.

On Monday, another female actor from the Malayalam film industry alleged that she was a victim of sexual harassment by actors Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Edavela Babu. She added later that she had been receiving threatening messages since she had spoken up.

"I had a bitter experience while shooting... I went to the restroom and when I came out, Jayasurya hugged me and kissed me without my consent. I was shocked and I ran out," she told Indian news website NDTV.

She added that she had been forced to leave the Malayalam film industry and relocate to Chennai, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, due to the “bitter experiences”.

Jayasurya (left) with Mohanlal; Jayasurya has been charged with sexual assault after a female actor made a complaint (Jayasurya Jayan/Instagram)

On 29 August, police charged actors Mukesh and Jayasurya with sexual asssault after she made a police complaint on Wednesday.

All other office bearers of the AMMA, including president Mohanlal, resigned on Tuesday, after allegations were made against three members of the body – Siddique, vice-president Jeyan R, and joint secretary Baburaj. Mohanlal is one of the biggest stars of the industry, with a career spanning over four decades and over 400 films to his name.

“In the context of the sexual harassment accusations levelled against some of the officials of the administrative committee of AMMA in the media after the release of the Hema committee report, the existing administrative committee of AMMA has decided to resign, accepting moral responsibility,” the AMMA said in a statement.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the government would take strict action if any woman who contributed to the report chose to file a report, and constituted a seven-member panel of high-ranking police officers to investigate allegations on 25 August.

“No matter how big they are, they will be brought before the law,” he said.