Malayalam film industry isn't only one rotten. Silence in Tamil cinema concerning

The Malayalam film industry is not the one which is rotten inside because we are fixing it, said Malayalam actor Parvathy recently in an interview. “The places you don’t hear anything about, that’s where we should be worried.” Parvathy, a core member of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) formed in 2017, was speaking in the context of the publication of the Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed sexual exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.The Kerala government, which appointed a three-member panel to study issues of women in the film industry in mid-2017, released the report in August, after multiple delays. It has prompted many women from the industry to name their abusers, resulting in police cases, and the executive committee of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) dissolving itself, most of them having been named.The silence of some of the biggest names in the Tamil industry on the report is concerning, with only a few acknowledging it, let alone voicing the need for a similar exposé and restructuring of power centres here. What is the way forward then?Following a spate of #MeToo allegations in film industries across the country in 2018, the South Indian Artistes’ Association or Nadigar Sangam had formed an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in 2019. However, to date, it has not received a single complaint, says Poochi Murukan, a member. “Rohini, Lalita Kumari, Raja Krishnamoorthy, Karthi, a psychiatrist and I are the members and any Nadigar Sangam member with a complaint can call the helpline number,” he says.Culture of silenceBut, say those within the industry, such a committee is of no use in a culture of silence; even the Hema Committee report has noted that ICCs can be rendered powerless when a group of powerful men who are also abusers control the industry.A common refrain is that only if victims file police complaints will there be change. After all, the current movement in Malayalam germinated from one filed by an actress who was assaulted. But that by itself would have no effect unless that person has powerful support, says retired Madras high court justice Prabha Sridevan. “In Kerala, what was significant is that the women stood by the actor who filed the complaint. You need that solidarity for women to gain confidence.”Singer Chinmayi Sriprada, who had earlier accused lyricist Vairamuthu of attempting sexual harassment and was later banned by dubbing union leader Radha Ravi from the Tamil industry, says she filed a written complaint with police in 2019. “The police came to my house and took the handwritten complaint. The National Commission for Women [NCW] sent them three reminders, the copies of which I have, but I did not receive even an acknowledgement of the police complaint to date.” Chinmayi also says her losing work afterwards is considered a ‘warning’ to others who want to file complaints. ShowQuotesThe only thing that could make a difference, says Tamil filmmaker Sudha Kongara, is women occupying powerful positions in cinema. “I was lucky enough to start my career with a woman director such as Revathi, and later worked with a woman as producer. It makes a huge difference. Today, I ensure separate toilets for women on my sets.” Sudha recalls that two decades ago when a male assistant director verbally abused her on set, the director, Mani Ratnam, promptly dismissed him though she was too nervous to complain. “So, there is no gender here, a man who is a feminist can also offer a safe space for women.”She would be happy to be part of a women’s collective in Tamil but like every other woman in cinema, she too is in survival mode, she says. “It’s an extremely male-dominated world, from actors to filmmakers to producers and we are constantly afraid of losing work.”Prabha compares the situation to the judiciary. “If there are more women in the judiciary, there will be a change even in the tone of the judgments,” she says. “Even the Supreme Court uses phrases such as ‘her prized possession’ in rape cases. It’s about dignity, not about chastity or purity. But that’s the way the man looks at it. Whichever the space – films or corporate or judiciary – women must come in at all levels, organically, not for namesake. Only this will inculcate confidence in other women.” ShowQuotesBut women themselves are often gatekeepers of patriarchy and having women at the top doesn’t solve the issue, says Chinmayi. “Some senior women actors have declared in public that there is no sexual harassment in the Tamil industry. As far as I know, not one production company has set up an ICC. The only studio that has an ICC that is functional is composer AR Rahman’s.”Even otherwise, she doesn’t see a women’s collective forming in the Tamil industry. “Firstly, Tamil Nadu is not home to most women actors here and so there is a lack of unity and leadership.” Unlike in the Malayalam industry, most abusers in the Tamil industry are associated with some political party, that will ensure their protection, she says.The content in movies also plays a role in perpetuating the culture of silence, says Prabha. “WCC’s work has been truly phenomenal.” She compares the battle to the ‘Mathura case’ of 1972 where a girl was raped by two policemen. “Even the Supreme Court said she was a woman of loose morals. Women activists came out saying, ‘if it’s against her will, it’s rape, no matter what’.”Khushbu Sundar, Tamil actor and former NCW member, believes there is no need for such a collective in Tamil as there are not many sexual harassment complaints. “Nor have I been subjected to any. Also, women in cinema today are financially sound and don’t need to resort to the casting couch. There is no lobby which takes away work from a complainant. Revathi won the Kerala state award though she was part of WCC.”ICCs in production houses are not the solution according to Khushbu, as they might never reveal such instances on their own film sets. “In my production house, we maintain a relationship with every woman artist to make sure she is safe. If someone has been subjected to abuse, they should file a complaint with the police, and not expect a third party to do it for them. No one is guilty until they are proven so. You cannot blindly believe every accusation,” says Khushbu.Lead image: Devyani Mohan/AI