What Survivor Actress Said As Hema Committee Report Sends Shockwaves
Amid the upheaval in the Malayalam film industry following the release of the Hema Committee report, actress Bhavana Menon, whose experience prompted the formation of the commission, shared a photo on Instagram, captioned, “Retrospect.”
The Malayalam actress shared a side profile shot that has since gone viral on social media. The word ‘Retrospect’ means “looking back on or reflecting upon past events”. From the moment it was shared, comments expressing their love and support flooded on Instagram.
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The Justice Hema Committee report, which was prepared after a detailed study of discrimination faced by women in cinema, was handed over to the government on December 31, 2019. This landmark report has revealed the deep rot in the Malayalam film industry.
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The 290-page report part of which has been redacted to hide the identities of survivors and those accused of wrongdoing, stated that the industry is dominated by “a mafia of powerful men” and that “sexual harassment of women is rampant”.
The discussion to set up the panel was taken in the aftermath of the horrific sexual assault on a leading actress in the film industry. Though Indian law bars the identification of survivors of sexual assault, it was known from the very beginning of the case that Ms Menon had been assaulted. She later waived her anonymity in 2022 in a post on Instagram.
The attack on the leading actress came as a shock to many. Bhavana Menon has worked in more than 80 films in Southern Indian languages and won a number of prestigious awards. The actress was assaulted when she was traveling from Thrissur to Kochi in February 2017.
Her assault made headlines when Dileep, the Malayalam film industry’s one of the biggest star and Bhavana’s co-star in half a dozen films, was named as accused and charged with criminal conspiracy. Though he had denied charges, he was arrested and held in custody for three months before being released on bail. The case still continues to be heard in court.
Her unwavering determination to fight for justice, despite facing victim shaming and mental abuse, was widely applauded by many in the film industry.
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Actor-director Geetu Mohandas saluting the actress’s resoluteness wrote on Facebook, “Let’s just not forget. All of this started coz one woman actually had the gumption to fight”.
