“The sky is full of mysteries”
Actor Mohanlal quits AMMA amid Hema Committee report: Big blow to Malayalam film industry
The Hema Commission report began with the lines, “The sky is full of mysteries, with twinkling stars and a beautiful moon. But scientific investigation has shown that the stars do not twinkle, nor does the moon look beautiful.” Several pages of the report were redacted, resulting in several criticisms as it did not mention the names of the culprits. The highlight of the report was the mention of a 15-member powerful group that allegedly exists and controls the Malayalam film industry.
knocks on the door Mother crisis
The Hema Commission report mentioned several cases of sexual harassment against artistes and the biggest highlight was the allegation that several directors, actors, producers or even directors knew the doors of these artistes at night, indirectly demanding sexual favours. Allegedly an actress was forced by a director to shoot an intimate scene 17 times as a revenge for her complaining about an incident. Things started to get messy when actor Siddique was accused of sexual harassment by a female actress, followed by Bengali actor Srilekha Mitra accusing director Ranjit of inappropriate behaviour. There were more cases to come, as actors Jayasurya, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Edavela Babu, Baburaj, Sreekumar Menon, VK Prakash and many others were also accused of sexual harassment. mohanlal along with other 17 members of the association. Meanwhile, actress Parvathy Thirivothu criticised the move calling it a ‘cowardly’ move to shirk her responsibilities. Meanwhile, Jayasurya took to his social media handle and said that the allegations levelled against him are false.
Tovino Thomas reaction from Prithviraj
Speaking to the media, Prithviraj Sukumaran said that he is not surprised by the findings of the Hema Commission report. He referred to the power group within the industry and said, “Just because I was not affected by the power group, it doesn’t mean that such a group does not exist in the industry. If such a power exists, it should not stand.” Speaking to the media, Tovino Thomas said that the formation of the Hema committee and the investigation are measures that are not usually seen in other film industries. The ‘ARM’ actor further added that such issues are not just limited to the Malayalam film industry, but also in other industries. Asif Ali remarked that those who speak openly about their struggles in the industry should get justice.
Big M’s response
Mohanlal urges action on Hema Committee report: ‘Punish those who did wrong…’
Many complained why Mollywood superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty are silent on the issue. Finally, Mohanlal was the first to break his silence. Speaking to the media, he responded that he is not a part of any power group mentioned in the report. Mohanlal also urged people not to destroy the Malayalam film industry amid these ongoing issues. Mammootty shared his thoughts on his social media handle with a note that read, “Full version Justice Hema Committee The report is before the court. Let the police investigate honestly. Let the court decide the punishment. There is no ‘powerhouse’ in cinema.’
Conspiracy against Nivin Pauly
On September 3, a woman filed a sexual harassment case against actor Nivin Pauly, complicating the matter even further. Soon, the ‘Varshangalku Sesham’ actor faced the issue confidently and in a media interaction, he completely denied the allegations against him. Moreover, ‘Varshangalku Sesham’ director Vineeth Sreenivasan and other cast members of the film shared their testimonials which proved that Nivin Pauly was present at his shoot location on the dates mentioned by the complainant. More evidence in support of Nivin Pauly came from the cast members of ‘Varshangalku Sesham’, who further lodged the case suspecting that the allegations against him were part of a conspiracy.
Charmila Vs Hariharan
Actress Charmila has accused director Hariharan of demanding ‘adjustments’ for working in the film ‘Parinayam’. She has also accused producer MP Mohanan of helping her oust from the film project as she did not meet the demands.
hidden cam in caravan
Tamil actress Radhika Sarathkumar has made a serious allegation that hidden cameras have been installed inside caravans in Malayalam film sets, which are used to shoot secret videos of actresses. Radhika said that when she came to know about this, she immediately started shouting and contacted the officials of the production company to take immediate action.
Formation of ‘Progressive Film Producers Association’
Amid the ongoing issues in the Malayalam film industry, a new association called the ‘Progressive Filmmakers Association’ is being formed under the leadership of director Aashiq Abu. The association is in its nascent stage and in another twist, director Lijo Jose Pelissery, who was rumoured to be a part of the association, denied the speculations and said, “I support the idea behind such a creative filmmakers association, but I am not a part of it right now. In the future if I am interested in being a part of the association, I will officially announce it.”
