Kochi: The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) on Friday broke its silence on the findings of the Hema Commission report, five days since the damning report on the rampant sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry came out after a wait of five years. Speaking to the media, AMMA general secretary Siddique said the association welcomed the report and its recommendations and that the police should investigate and punish those responsible.
He also said there is a false notion created by the media that the report is against AMMA. "There is a mention of AMMA in the report. However, the association is not in the dock. It is a committee constituted to study the issues being faced by our members. We stand by the report and haven't chosen to stand by the culprits," said Siddique.
Referring to the mafia and power group, he said that he wasn't aware of any such nexus. "There was a high power committee that was put together a decade ago with representatives of all film-related associations in the state. We are not sure if that is what has been mentioned. Otherwise, there is no power group controlling the industry. I have been here for decades, I have never seen a power group controlling the industry. How can an industry function if there's a group controlling all aspects?" Siddique asked.
"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," he said.
AMMA executive committee members Vinu Mohan, Jayan Cherthala, Jomol and Ananya also attended the press conference.
Earlier today, Manorama News reported that the Kerala government omitted 11 paragraphs from the report which were not recommended by the State Information Commission (SIC). The government released only 233 pages of the report, excluding sections that could infringe on the privacy of the individuals mentioned. The omitted portions include paragraphs 97 to 107 from pages 49 to 53, as well as sections from pages 81 to 100 and pages 165 to 196. According to Manorama News, the 11 paragraphs from pages 49 to 53 were not part of the exclusions submitted by the SIC.
Incidentally, the 96th paragraph in the report spoke of the sexual abuse faced by women from well-known personalities. "On analysis of evidence placed before us, we are satisfied that women face sexual harassment even from very well-known people in the film industry, who were named before the committee. On considering the various aspects we have no reason to disbelieve what was stated before us regarding sexual harassment in the film industry," the paragraph said.
The Justice K Hema Commission was formed in response to the 2017 sexual assault case involving actor Dileep, to investigate issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry. A censored version of the committee's findings, released on August 19, contains explosive accounts of harassment, exploitation, and mistreatment of women in the industry, triggering a political storm in Kerala.
