#MeToo in Mollywood

Not all glitz and glamour: More artists reveal bitter secrets about Mollywood

The year is turning out to be historic for Malayalam cinema in terms of content and gender equality. Following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, several female actors have come forward with startling revelations of sexual abuse, misconduct, and discriminatory actions against senior male colleagues, directors, producers, and production controllers of the industry. In just one week, almost 20 cases were registered under the Special Investigation Tribunal (SIT), against some of the prominent names in the industry, including Ranjith, Mukesh, Siddique and Jayasurya.

While more cases of sexual abuse and even exploitation of women are coming to the fore, Onmanorama delves a little deeper into the other persisting issues within the industry hit by the #MeToo movement. Kerala's first recognised female makeup artist, Mitta Antony, reveals she thought of quitting the industry on various occasions because of the difficulties she faced from within. "I have worked in over 40 films across various languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bhojpuri and Malayalam. By far, I had to undergo some of the worst experiences only in the Malayalam film industry," she said. Mitta is also one of the first female makeup artist to get a membership in the Cine Costume and Makeup Artists Association (CCMAA).

"I was part of several Hindi and two English projects while working as a makeup artist in Mumbai. I had a lot of support from CCMAA. However, I had to come back to Kerala after a medical negligence that altered my life for over a year. I had never thought of working in Kerala, but CDIT offered me a film directed by Mohan sir while I was recuperating in Kerala. That gave me the confidence to return to work. 'Udalaazham' happened to me after that. With my newfound confidence, I decided to stay in Kerala. However, my perception towards the industry changed after I started working in a film directed by a prominent filmmaker. "I never faced any physical harassment on the sets of any of the films here. But I had to face mental torture mostly from women. Though I was assigned assistants, I was left to work on my own on most days and had to bring assistants from Mumbai to complete my work. One day, I had to deal with 27 artists on my own. I couldn't pinpoint if it was a personal grudge against me or because I had no support from any union here. Things changed when I was officially recognised by FEFKA in 2022," she said. She added that it is difficult for people to survive within the industry without union support.

The Hema Commission report has also revealed that hair stylists, just like junior artists and other female actors, are harassed by men in cinema. "One of the witnesses stated that a makeup man had made life difficult for her when she refused to share his room. He was also antagonised when she asked the director to provide her a room with safety. The makeup man called her over phone during the night and threatened her," the report stated.

The report also highlighted that makeup artists and hair stylists are denied membership in their respective unions if they are above 35 years of age. "I had entered the film industry several years ago and I was able to secure a membership in the union early. But many of my peers cannot afford such a luxury since many of them entered the industry after 35 years of age, due to personal hardship. I know one woman who told me that she would die a happy death if granted a union membership," Ajitha Babu, a hair stylist told Onmanorama. "Many hair stylists over 35 are denied membership to the union citing the age factor. The person also said that the union prohibits hair stylists from working without a membership card. It is needless to say that such acts are illegal," the report highlighted.

However, Bhagyalakshmi, who heads the woman's wing of FEFKA, denied the allegations against the union. "We have told the makeup artists and the hair stylists that there is no age limit in entering the union. We intervened and this restriction was removed several years ago. Yet, we don't understand why some of these women went ahead and brought this up as a complaint. FEFKA has been working for the welfare of the women for years. There are several issues that can be highlighted within the film industry. We are trying to rectify that. It is sad that the media and everyone else is fixated about stories of sexual abuse only within the industry," she said.