“Every Industry Should Have Hema Committee”: Ananya Panday (image-instagram/ananyapanday)
The Hema Committee report released on August shed light on the widespread and persistent nature of sexual abuses and harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. Bollywood actress Ananya Panday, while taking part in ‘India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2024’ came forward highlighting the importance of having a Hema Committee to fight against sexual abuse against women in the film industry.
In the event which was held on Saturday, the actress spoke about her choices as a young doctor and also took a moment to comment on women’s safety in the industry.
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She appreciated the effort of the Committee and said that women are doing a fabulous job by working together to form a body like the Hema Committee.
“It’s very important for every industry to have a committee like the Hema Committee where women come together and start something like that. Clearly, no one else is doing it but women. And I feel there has definitely been some change. As you can see, people are at least talking about the problem. However, there is still a long, long way to go. There are still much bigger battles to fight,” she said.
However, the film industry is now going through a changing phase by ensuring women’s safety on the sets, the actress said.
Ananya said that there are helpline numbers on contracts today. “I see that in our contracts today, there are certain helpline numbers, there are certain clauses that ensure the safety of women and I think that’s very important. Even our call sheets have helpline numbers. You can call and complain to them. Even if you want to complain anonymously. But, I don’t think this issue exists only in the film industry. It’s important we address this as quickly as possible,” she said.
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Being a popular actress, Ananya said that she is aware of speaking about the issues that matter. “At least stand for something. That’s very important. Don’t talk about everything but choose something you feel strongly about. Like women’s safety is very important to me. I always speak about it. And it’s also important to do it right. It’s not just about speaking. One has to do something. Actions speak louder than words,” she elaborated.
Meanwhile, on the work front, the actress is now busy in the promotion of her Prime video series Call Me Bae and will next star with Akshay Kumar in a biopic titled Shankara.
