Actors Jomol, Urvashi, and screenwriter Deedi Damodaran had varied responses to the Hema Committee report. But would we rather make this about questioning women and their opinions, or ask the right questions to those who have the power to change things?
“I have not heard knocks on my door. I don’t know of safety issues in the Malayalam film industry,” said actor Jomol in response to the findings of the Hema Committee report on the working conditions of women in Malayalam cinema. Jomol, who began her career as a child artist, won a national award in 1997 for her performance in the Malayalam film Ennu Swantham Janakikutty. In it, she played a rebellious young girl at odds with her conservative family, a stark contrast to her timid response to the incidence of workplace sexual harassment raised by her female colleagues.
Jomol made the statement while accompanied by office bearers of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) including then general secretary Siddique, who had to resign in the next two days following allegations of sexual assault. The organization, which claims to work towards the welfare of cine artists in the state, was responding to the report after four days of conspicuous silence, only to downplay its findings.
The Hema Committee, constituted by the Kerala government in the aftermath of the 2017 actor assault case and the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), found that there is a power lobby consisting of top-tier male actors, producers, and directors who control the Malayalam film industry. It also cited that sexual harassment is rampant in the industry. Quoting witnesses who deposed before the Committee, the report said that some women called the midnight knocks at their rooms “forceful enough to break the door down.”
Siddique dismissed these findings as hearsay and passed the mic to Jomol, insisting that the women among them must speak about harassment. Jomol downplayed the problem and said that she has not faced inconveniences or unsettling advances at the workplace. “Everyone knows how long I have worked in cinema. Nobody has spoken badly to me, knocked on my door, or asked me for sexual favors in exchange for opportunities,” Jomol immediately said.
Jomol is entitled to share her experiences, but she went ahead to claim that harassment is unheard of in the industry and that she has only read about such things in newspapers, thus reducing the magnitude of the issue. Soon after, she was widely criticized by several people for negating the struggles of women in the industry, and for invalidating the courage survivors have shown to reveal some of their deepest, darkest nightmares.
The problem with individualizing systemic harassment
Screenwriter Deedi Damodaran, who is one of the founding members of the WCC, came out with a studied, pointed response to Jomol. While acknowledging Jomol’s right to speak her truth, Deedi said that an individual’s testimony must not negate the collective problems of women as a marginalized group.
“One of the stalwarts of Malayalam cinema made a film called Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback. Many female actors have passed away mysteriously, and nobody has been held accountable for their deaths. When newer actors like Jomol speak, it is important to not forget the injustices meted out to those who came before us and vanished mysteriously from the industry. It would be good to look at how her fellow beings have been living as well,” Deedi said.
Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback (1983), directed by seasoned director KG George, traced the life and demise of a young performer named Lekha (played by Nalini). The movie showed how Lekha overcame poverty by going into the sex industry and went on to become a great performer. However, at the height of her career, she took her own life due to a failed relationship with a well-known director. Many people conjectured that the movie was modeled on the late actress Sobha, who married director Balu Mahendra and passed away at the young age of 17. Her suicide was tragic and unexpected, but the cause of death is still a mystery. In his autobiography, KG George said that the creation of Lekha was motivated by the life and death of Sobha.
Journalist Gita Aravamudan described the 1983 movie as “unexpectedly sensitive” in her print review because of the way it depicts the demands placed on a young girl who wants to go in the movie business. Gita observed that Lekha believes she has found a permanent anchor when she has an affair with a well-known director who is married with a kid, “even though her lover calls their relationship an adjustment.” Interestingly, George uses the phrase “adjustment” in the movie. The Hema Committee report, released 40 years after Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback, devotes an entire subhead to the term and claims that males in the business frequently use it to refer to sexual favors sought.
Gita recounted in her review her conversation with actor Hema Malini, who stated that she was just a little child when she started in the business when questioned about her connection with the “much married, hard-drinking superstar” Dharmendra. Gita commented, “It raises yet again the question feminists all over the world are asking about a woman’s priorities, her moral values, and her needs,” citing the possibility that Lekha is more than just Sobha.
This takes us back to Deedi Damodaran’s comment to Jomol, in which she stressed the need to understand the background of systematic harassment in the entertainment business before brushing it off as an individual issue. By choosing to do this, a woman ends up alienating those who fight the hard battle for gender equality—the only movement she can turn to if she is mistreated by the same elite of power—and caving into the powerful.
A moment of reflection on politics
Actor Urvashi, who recently received the Kerala state award for her outstanding performance in Christo Tommy’s Ullozhukku, provided a more encouraging and consoling reaction when she remarked, “It is AMMA who must intervene first.” Perhaps some ladies had wonderful experiences. However, several people feel deeply traumatized by their negative experiences and lack support or assistance. AMMA and the government must intervene to address the issues raised by these ladies. Escapist comments are no longer appropriate.
Senior actor Urvashi has over 40 years of experience in multilingual movies. She strikes what appears to be a medium ground between Jomol and Deedi; although she states that her experiences at work have been positive, she also emphasizes the value of supporting others who have opposing viewpoints. Above all, she refocuses attention on those with the ability to make a difference—that is, AMMA and the state government, which are led by males who maintain inflexible power structures.
Sexual harassment complaints made by women in the film business are not new, and the government and powerful men in the Malayalam film industry have casually ignored them. In 2019, a female actor accused former AMMA secretary Siddique of serious sexual assault while still a young adult. Neither AMMA nor any of its power centers requested an investigation into the matter. On August 25, after she repeated her accusation in the wake of the Hema Committee findings, he was compelled to resign due to social pressure. There are still issues regarding why a suo motu police investigation against him hasn’t been started sooner.
Except for a small number of people, younger, more well-known actors and directors have remained silent in response to the allegations. Big names like Mammootty and Mohanlal have not yet spoken. Numerous women have accused numerous actors, producers, and directors of harassing and assaulting them. AMMA, which said that it will support both the accused and the victim in the case of a female actor who was sexually attacked in a moving vehicle in Kochi, is led by Mohanlal at the moment. Actor Dileep was detained shortly after for allegedly planning and arranging the attack. In protest, several female performers—including the survivor herself—resigned from the organization. However, AMMA has insisted that these actors are free to “reapply for membership if they wish.” The Hema Committee report also points out that the actors’ organization continued to use innuendos in their skits to mock these ladies.
Actor Mukesh, a current member of the Left Democratic Front administration in Kerala and another accused of sexual harassment, stated that the Hema Committee is not a court and that the government is not required to act on its conclusions. KB The current Minister for Transportation, Ganesh Kumar, is a well-known actor who formerly held positions in the Malayalam Cine Technicians’ Association (MACTA) and AMMA. He said that he was not directly aware of the accusations that were reported in the paper.
Saji Cherian, the minister of culture, has stated time and time again that the government will take action only in response to specific complaints made by women. Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra accused director Ranjith Balakrishnan of misconduct after the Hema Committee report was made public. Ranjith, who is also the current chairperson of the Kerala Film Academy, is a well-known artist, and he cannot be compelled to resign because of a complaint, Saji Cherian said.
Pressure built, and ultimately Ranjith was forced to quit. He did, however, brush off the accusations against him, calling them a “targeted effort” with political overtones. Jomol’s remark, then, is a continuation of the victim-blaming, dismissive attitude that the Malayalam film industry and the state both systemically support. It’s a typical approach to undermine the legitimacy of the women’s movement to pit women against one another by elevating the more fortunate among them to downplay the problems of the rest.
Jomol might not be able to look past this because of her privilege. She is not, however, the most influential actor in this situation, especially because AMMA is a very authoritarian organization that did not have elections until quite recently. Perhaps many women choose to pander to authority as a means of surviving in a system that is set up to fail, whether voluntarily or via direct compulsion.
Answers are more likely to come from the individuals who own and operate the show—some of them are even preachers. In this way, the report of the Hema Committee has also forced us as a society to reflect critically on what our feminist ideology should stand for at this critical juncture in political history. Should we ask the correct questions of people who can make a difference for everyone, or should we just make this about shaming women like Jomol for denying such systemic issues?
The core issue at stake is one of power consolidation, equity, and safety in an extremely capitalist and oppressive workplace. As we address responsibility, we also need to address those in positions of power, and those are the government and groups like AMMA. It is depressing, even angry, when women like Jomol react insensitively.
