On August 19, the Justice K Hema Committee presented a report on sexual harassment of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, sparking widespread indignation. The report also prompted Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to announce that the state government is working on creating a comprehensive cinema law to safeguard women’s safety. In response, the Women’s Forum for Screen Workers in the Bengali film industry released a charter of demands to strengthen women’s dignity in the workplace, which was signed by 50 actors and technicians.Writer Kanika Dhillon, who previously spoke out about the gender bias she has faced in Bollywood and how it nearly derailed her career, today responded to the much-discussed report and the potential ramifications for women in cinema. In an interview with News18 Showsha, she said, “Whenever focus is drawn to the malpractices and prejudices against women in any industry, it definitely makes people across industries take note and retrospect.” She further added, “Kudos to the Hema Committee Report for putting the spotlight on the plight and malpractices that women have been subjected to! Only when the focus and the spotlight will be directed to these issues, will the change begin to improve the work environment and professional spaces for women across industries. ”Meanwhile, in her YouTube talk with Barkha Dutt, Parvathy Thiruvothu criticized the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for their decision to collectively resign. Parvathy, a founding member of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), condemned AMMA’s move, calling it cowardly. Although she did not explicitly name Mohanlal, she denounced the decision as an attempt to evade accountability.
