Malayalam cinema in dilemma as Hema Committee upends AMMA

Actor Urvashi, who is a member of AMMA, urged the association to take legal action and not keep quiet.

What began as a tiny rivulet is now a raging torrent that is washing away many big names in the Malayalam film industry. The release of the Justice K Hema Committee report on sexual exploitation in Mollywood, with its redacted names and general allegations, soon spurred a widespread churn in the industry with many women openly identifying their assaulters. Two prominent figures have resigned from their positions: actor Siddique as general secretary of Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), and noted director Ranjith as chairman of the Kerala government-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy.

Following the open accusations by woman actors, the Kerala government is mulling over the constitution of a police probe into the allegations. Apart from Siddique and Ranjith, former general secretary of AMMA Edavela Babu and actors Sudheesh and Riyaz Khan have also been named so far.

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As with the MeToo movement, as one woman stepped forward, she was followed by many others, each with her own story of harassment or exploitation or inappropriate behaviour by colleagues in the industry. More names are expected to tumble out in the coming days as victims gather courage and feel safe. Some of the allegations are old, getting a new life with the release of the report. Some others are new revelations of old instances.

Siddique's resignation was welcomed by many as actor Revathy Sampath made serious allegations of sexual harassment against him. “I am stepping down from the position in light of the allegations against me,” Siddique stated as he stepped down early Sunday morning. On Saturday, Sampath alleged sexual harassment by Siddique of not only her, but also of many of her colleagues.

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“Siddique first contacted me through social media. Later, following the preview show of the movie 'Sukhamayirikkatte', he invited me to his hotel room. I was 21 years old then. He sexually assaulted me and even locked me inside a room. However, I managed to escape,” Sampath said, adding that she had already opened up about the 2016 incident during the MeToo movement in 2019. Following Siddique’s resignation Sampath said that she had proof of what she faced and that he should be banned from the film industry as he is a criminal. She said she filed several cases but neither got support from the film industry, nor from the police or the women's commission. Instead, she was asked to quit the film industry.

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Sampath has also spoken against actor and body builder Riyaz Khan alleging that he called her one night asking for a sexual relationship. He also asked her to share contacts of her friends who were willing to “cooperate”.

Another actor Jubitha Andy accused Edavela Babu of asking for some “adjustments” to get membership in AMMA. “He advised me that making certain adjustments was enough to secure a place in AMMA instead of paying the membership fees,” she said and added that she stopped getting movie offers as she refused to comply. She alleged that actor Sudheesh and director Harikumar also misbehaved with her. Sudheesh has denied the allegation.

Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra has slammed director Ranjith for “inappropriate” behaviour when she visited him to discuss a 2009 film. “You cannot say that he (Ranjith) misbehaved. Some men and women alike would say that it was a harmless gesture - that he was touching her bangle, he was touching her hair, or the nape of her neck. He hasn’t sexually harassed me, or I wasn’t molested; he hasn’t touched my private parts. But I know, being a woman, we know what is what, and it was a litmus test for him, probably - whether I was reciprocating to his actions or if he was gauging my reactions, and maybe then he would have taken it to the next stage. So, I was uncomfortable,” Sreelekha said in an interview. She left Kerala the next day.

Though Ranjith has resigned from his post in the Academy, he has vowed to approach the case legally. He claimed that Sreelekha was called for an audition for the film Paleri Manikyam, but was sent back when he decided that she wasn't suitable for the role.

Actor Mukesh, a friend of Ranjith who supported the latter following Sreelekha’s allegations, has himself been named by casting director Tess Joseph who said she was summoned to his room many times when the veteran actor was the presenter of the Kodeeshwaran quiz programme. Tess, who was the organiser of the programme, found that she was relocated to a room next to the actor. Finally, her boss, Derek O' Brien intervened and sent her home. She had come out in the open about this incident in 2018.

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“We trust these systems to bring us justice, but when I see endless lawyers lining up to defend the state in West Bengal or the silence of an industry on the Hema Committee Report, it feels like justice isn't even the point anymore. It's just some spectacle where the rules are bent to suit those in power,” Tess commented on an Instagram post on Saturday.

The resignations, especially Siddique’s, have been welcomed by many. Actor Shammi Thilakan is prominent among them, who said: “Any righteous person would do this. His decision is welcomed.” Shammi was once removed from AMMA. Shammi came down even more on superstar Mohanlal, who is the president of AMMA, saying that “he (Mohanlal) has lost his ability to respond”. As the Justice K Hema Committee report storm raged, there has been no reaction from Mohanlal. Suggesting those who perpetrated the crimes would have to face the consequences, Shammi said: “Those who have eaten salt must drink water.”

Actor Urvashi, who is a member of AMMA, urged the association to take legal action and not keep quiet. “I heard Siddique’s comments. He might have been able to react like that since it’s the first response. However, AMMA cannot make any easy or wobbly stand. There are incidents (of sexual exploitation). Government has to bring in a system to prevent them. But the first step should be from AMMA,” she told the media in Chennai on Saturday. She said she had her family with her to protect her from harassment.

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Dubbing artist and actor Bhagyalakshmi termed Siddique’s resignation as “happy news”. “All of us were hoping for this resignation,” she said. Recalling the sexual assault on a prominent actress in February 2017 that led to the formation of the committee, Bhagyalakshmi said: “Back then, everyone stood beside the 'hunter.' If something like this had happened at that time, it would have sparked a revolution in the film industry. Nobody refused to work with the accused then.” She said that everyone expected the accused to get away free, but that did not happen. She urged Revathy Sampath to stay strong even if her case does not win in the court.

Leading actor Manju Warrier, alluding to the 2017 sexual assault case, involving her former husband Dileep, who is an accused in the case, said in her Instagram post: “Let's just not forget all of this started because one woman actually had the gumption to fight.” She extended her support to the survivors of sexual assault in the industry.

The story is surely set to gather more force each passing day.