Malayalam industry’s disturbing reality: Actress forced to perform intimate scenes with her assaulter

The long-awaited Justice Hema Committee report has shed light on the grim realities faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The report, initially submitted to the government in 2019, was recently made public after four-and-a-half years. The committee, formed in 2017 following the sexual assault of an actress, was led by retired Justice K. Hema, with former bureaucrat KB Valsalakumari and veteran actress Sharada as members.

The report highlights a range of issues plaguing women in the industry, including sexual harassment, the absence of basic facilities like women’s toilets and changing rooms, gender bias and discrimination, pay disparity, and the lack of legal authority to address these problems.

Among the incidents investigated, one particularly harrowing account involved a female actor who was forced to work alongside a man who had previously sexually assaulted her. The two played a married couple, and she struggled to perform intimate scenes due to the immense emotional and physical toll.

"On the next day onwards, she had to work with the same man as husband and wife hugging each other. That was terrible because of what was done to her during the shooting, and her resentment and hatred had reflected during shooting," the report said as quoted by Indian Express.

The report also pointed out the industry’s harmful assumptions about women, stating that there is a general belief that women enter cinema solely for fame and money and are willing to compromise their dignity. 

Furthermore, it revealed that women who are passionate about acting often endure atrocities in silence.