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Actress Swara Bhasker has reacted to the Hema Committee report that highlights how the Malayalam film industry in Kerala is dominated by a small, powerful group of male actors, producers, and directors with enormous influence, making open demands for sexual favours from women in the fraternity. Swara said that it is “heartbreaking because it is familiar”.
Taking to Instagram, Swara penned a long note about the aftermath of the committee report. She captioned her note by writing, “I’ve just got down to reading the findings of the redacted Hema Committee Report and the findings are heartbreaking… and familiar! Here are some thoughts..#sexualharassment #genderviolence #hemacommitteereport.”
She shared that after reading the Hema Committee report she lauded the women in the Malayalam film industry for speaking up against the abusers. She wrote, “I finally got around to reading about the findings of the Hema Committee Report. Before anything else, a big big hug and gratitude to the brave women of the Women In Cinema Collective (WCC) who have consistently raised their voice against sexual harassment and violence, who demanded that an expert committee examine the working conditions of women in their industry and suggest solutions, who testified before the Hema Committee, who’ve held the hands of and provided solace to each other and to all women who have suffered sexual harassment and violence in the industry. You are heroes and you are doing the work that people in positions of greater power ought to have done already. Respect and solidarity with you!”
She said that the report findings are heartbreaking and familiar. She wrote, “It has been heartbreaking to read the findings of the committee. More heartbreaking because it is familiar. Maybe not every detail and not every nitty gritty but the larger picture of what the women have testified to is all too familiar. Showbiz is and always has been a male-centric industry, a patriarchal power set-up. It’s also deeply perception-sensitive and risk-averse. Every day of production – shoot days but also pre and post-production days – are days when the meter is running and money is being spent. No one likes a disruption. Even if the disruptor has raised her voice for what is ethically correct. It’s so much more convenient and financially practical to just carry on.”
Swara added that showbiz is patriarchal in nature and the wrongdoings of men are overlooked. “Showbiz is not just patriarchal, it’s also feudal in character. Successful actors, directors and producers are elevated to the status of demi-gods and anything they do goes. If they do something unsavoury, the norm for everyone around is to look away. If someone makes too much noise and doesn’t let an issue drop, label them ‘trouble-makers’ and let them bear the brunt of their overenthusiastic conscience. Silence is the convention. Silence is appreciated. Silence is practical and silence is rewarded,” she added.
Swara says showbiz has a “predatory atmosphere” and is normalised. “This happens everywhere in the world. This is how sexual harassment in showbiz is normalised and this is how a predatory atmosphere becomes ‘the way things are.’ Let’s be clear, when power equations are so skewed, newcomers and other women who accept these conditions cannot be blamed for working within a framework they have not created. Accountability must always be sought from those who hold the reins of power and who create conditions where women have no choice if they want work,” wrote Swara.
Swara concluded her note by questioning other language film industries and said that until people speak up, the “existing abuses of power will continue to be borne by those who are vulnerable”.
Concluding the text, she wrote, “The Hema Committee Report details experiences of women from the Malayalam film industry but that’s only because the horrific case of sexual assault of an actress allegedly orchestrated by superstar Dileep opened a Pandora’s box for them. And these women of the WCC and their well wishers did something unprecedented: they banded together to demand justice and equal treatment. Are other language industries in India even talking about such things? Until we don’t face the uncomfortable truths we all know exist all around us, the brunt of existing abuses of power will continue to be borne by those who are vulnerable.”
In response to Swara’s post, Malayam film actress Parvathy posted “✊🏾♥️,” in her comments section. Many celebrities including Tanushree Dutta, Lakshmi Manchu, Prithviraj Sukumara, Tovino Thomas and Parvathy Thiruvothu among others have reacted to the report earlier.
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