Kushboo Sundar reacts to Hema Committee report: 'I have never seen anything like this but heard stories'

Kushboo Sundar

Five years after the Hema Committee submitted their findings about the sexual harassment against women in the Malayalam film industry to the government, the same has been made public. Following an RTI filed by the media, the court allowed the report to be released in the public domain but demanded that no names be revealed. The report has revealed shocking details about treatment of women in the Malayalam film industry with testimonials that can shake you.

Now, actor and politician Kushboo Sundar has reacted to the findings by the Hema Committee and expressed delight for women who fought for the report to be made public.

Speaking to Etimes, Sundar said, "Yes, I'm glad there were women who stood together and wanted to bring dignity to the workplace. This is their victory. Somebody had the courage to do it. They think that we need to put a full stop. Everything started in Hollywood when they began the Me Too movement. That's when this gained momentum, and they said, okay, we have these kinds of issues happening in Malayalam cinema as well. And we need to address it. It was probably about a few more women who have been through this kind of ordeal, and they wanted to bring justice to it."

When asked if this report will bring about changes in the workplace in the film industry and instill fear in powerful people who take advantage of their position, Sundar opined, "I don't think that happens now. Probably all these women are talking about something that happened 15-20 years ago. But now it's different. Now the girls come from very decent families. Girls are educated. The entire working atmosphere is different. So, I don't think... I have always said that I haven't been subjected to this kind of torture. I was literally brought up in the film industry. Right from the age of 8, I've been in the film industry. So, I haven't seen anything like this. But yes, I have heard stories."

She concluded, "I think it's definitely a victory for the women who stood together, who believed that we need to put a full stop to this. And if it brings some kind of fear among the men in the industry, who think that they can probably get away with it, then it's well and good. Somebody has to do it. Somebody has to cast the first stone. It has to come out of the belief that ‘it has to be a male-dominated world, we are the strongest, the best.' But we know what happens. It's a complete victory for these women who have stood together."

About the Hema Committee findings:

The much-awaited Justice Hema Committee report on harassment faced by women in Malayalam cinema industry has recorded explosive accounts of harassment, exploitation and ill-treatment of the female professionals, and has alleged that a "criminal gang" was controlling the industry where unyielding women are squeezed out.

The panel report also alleged there was a "power nexus" consisting of a handful of producers, directors, actors and production controllers.
The Kerala government constituted the panel after the 2017 actress assault case involving actor Dileep to study issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam cinema.

The report released on Monday sheds light on the widespread and persistent sexual harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry, with many alleging they were subjected to unwanted advances even before commencing work.

The women actors who are ready to compromise are given code names, and those who are not ready to yield are pushed out of the field, as per the report.

The copy of the report was given to the media under the RTI Act after five years of its submission to the government.

In a series of shocking and shameful revelations, the report stated that female actors faced harassment, including instances where the doors of their rooms were knocked on by intoxicated individuals in the film industry.

Many of them, who suffered sexual harassment, were reluctant to complain about this to the police due to fear, it said.