The Hema Commission report, which was released by the state government after a delay of five years, has shocked the state's collective conscience. Apart from exposing the realities of the casting couch and the abuse faced by women in cinema, it also revealed that a powerful lobby is controlling the film industry in the state.
As more skeletons tumble out of the closet, celebrities from other industries have began reacting to the report. Actor-producer Lakshmi Manchu, who made her debut in Mollywood with Mohanlal’s film ‘Monster’, admitted that she had also lost out on a lot of opportunities when she reacted against people who made sexual advances.
In an interview, the actor said the world is hard for women generally. “I have also had people hit on me as part of my work as an actor. I have been nasty when things get out of hand and that has led me to lose out on many opportunities,” she admitted. She, however, said things were comfortable for her in Malayalam due to her lineage. Her father is Mohan Babu, a celebrated actor in Telugu cinema.
Actor Tanushree Dutta who initiated the MeToo movement in India by accusing veteran actor Nana Patekar of sexual assault, was, however, critical of the Hema Commission report. According to her, the report is ‘useless’. “These committees and reports, I don’t understand them. I think they’re useless. It took them seven years to make a report on what happened in 2017?,” she said in an interview with News 18. “What was the point of this new report anyway. They just needed to arrest the accused and enforce a strong law and order system,” she said.
Stree-2 and Pataal Lok actor Abhishek Banerjee also shared his concern for what is happening in the Malayalam film industry . "It is very scary to hear what happened in the Malayalam industry. It is completely unacceptable. I appeal to all female artists that nothing is more important than safety and dignity," actor Abhishek Banerjee told news agency PTI.
The actor, who is also a casting director, said he would often hear stories about the casting couch when he started out. And that is why his company has a rule that actors, particularly women, are auditioned only in an office space and not in coffee shops or hotels.
Bigg Boss fame Sanam Shetty spoke about similar instances of abuse in the Tamil film industry. “I am speaking from my own experience. No one can deny that such instances are taking place in our film industry too. I have not read the report, but I am thankful that the judge and the Kerala government have taken the effort to publish the report,” she said.
