Kochi: Siddique entered the scene with a smile and an apology. “This hall was not built anticipating such a big press meet. Please bear with us,” the versatile actor told the media persons who had crowded the sitting area of the office of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) near Kaloor on Friday. Clad in a white mundu and shirt, Siddique was there to face apparently the toughest questions that awaited him as the general secretary of the actors’ body which has come under sever criticism following the release of the Hema Commission report.
Accompanied by AMMA vice president Jayan Cherthala, and executive committee members Jomol and Ananya, Siddique addressed the media to make clear his association’s stand on the report which exposed the rampant incidents of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the Malayalam film industry. The AMMA office-bearers met the media five days after the report, which has withheld the identity of the women who deposed before it and those who have been accused by them.
Siddique started the press meet brushing off the criticism that AMMA was maintaining a disturbing silence on the report. He said there was no delay as the association was busy with its scheduled show. “We got only a day after the show and yesterday we discussed the matter with our members and reached a consensus. That’s all. There is no running away from the report,” he said. He said the association wants the recommendations in the report implemented as they would benefit its members. Siddique said AMMA president Mohanlal was in Chennai.
He went to the point straight away, saying the association welcomed the report and its recommendations. He had also come prepared to answer the most anticipated question. Referring to the allegations of sexual abuse mentioned in the report, Siddique said the police should investigate such cases and bring to the book the culprits. He did not wait for the question.
A sense of ‘damage has been done’ was evident in the actors’ choice of words and tone though they were desperate to distance the organisation from the shameful episode. Siddique referred to the cases of sexual assault ‘isolated incidents’. “As you think sexual assault is not the major problem faced by those in the industry. The main issue is lack of proper payment and we get a lot of complaints about such cases and we resolve them,” he said.
Siddique said AMMA would look into the complaint filed by a female actor way back in 2018 about an incident happened in 2006. He sounded confessional when he said it was wrong to ignore it when it was filed.
He also rubbished the allegation that a ‘power group’ has been controlling the film industry. Sounding naive, he said, “a few years ago, a high power committee was formed including representatives from all segments in the industry to address various complaints. I don’t know if the mention is about it.”
Unsatisfied reporters. Unleashing questions. One was about late actor Thilakan’s daughter’s comment to media that a prominent person in the industry tried to make sexual advancements with her. Responding to it, Siddique appreciated the woman for putting her grievance “beautifully” and managing to the situation well. “That’s how everyone should be,” he said.
When pointed out the problem in describing a harrowing experience as beautiful, Siddique was quick to correct. “I withdraw the word ‘beautifully’ if it’s politically incorrect.” As the reporters sounded more and more aggressive, he wanted to know why they did not want to ask anything to the two female actors with him.
It was Jomol’s turn then. Asked about the allegations of sexual abuse and harassment, she said in her career she did not have to face any such experience. When a reporter tried to corner her, she said she could speak only from her experience.
When pointed out the plight of female actors including Parvathy Thiruvothu who have been allegedly denied roles after they spoke out against the patriarchal tendencies in the industry, Jomol chose to be in denial mode. “But her film was released even recently,” she said. When more actors were mentioned, she said she could not question the creative decisions of a director or writer.
The twist in the climax came from Jayan Cherthala. Earlier in the day, he had sounded the rebel in the camp saying AMMA should have responded to the report without delay. By the end of the press meet, he sounded more of a loyalist. “It is relevant to note to whom all the Hema Commission asked questions. When we asked the 506 members of our AMMA if the committee had called them, 99 per cent of them said they had no clue,” he said, without hiding his anger.
