Amid the storm in Mollywood surrounding sexual assault allegations against some top actors and directors, legendary actor Mammooty has said there is “no power centre” in Malayalam cinema and appealed to police to investigate the allegations honestly.

This comes a day after Mohanlal, another top actor of Malayalam cinema, said that neither was he a part of any power group in Mollywood, nor was he aware of any such group.

In a Facebook post, 72-year-old Mammootty said cinema is a reflection of the society and the good and bad in the society are also present in the film industry.

The Justice Hema Committee, he said, was formed to suggest solutions and recommend measures after something that should never have happened. Welcoming the recommendations of the panel, Mammooty said police investigation is proceeding swiftly.

“The full version of the Justice Hema committee report is before the court. Let the police investigate honestly. Let the court decide the punishments. There is no ‘powerhouse’ in cinema,” he said.

The veteran actor said the norm is that the actors’ organisation responds to such issues first. He said he waited this long for this very reason.

The Malayalam film industry has been rocked by allegations of sexual assault and harassment against some top actors and filmmakers. Actors Jayasurya Sidhique, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu and director Ranjith are among the prominent film personalities who now face cases of sexual harassment or assault. Several actors, including Minu Muneer and Sonia Malhaar, have brought serious allegations of sexual abuse.

The flood of allegations comes against the backdrop of the public release of the Justice Hema Committee report last week. The 235-page report, published after redacting names of witnesses and the accused, notes that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by 10-15 male producers, directors, and actors. The three-member Justice Hema Committee was set up by the state government in 2017 and submitted its report in 2019. The report was not made public so far due to legal challenges to its release.

The uproar has led to the dissolution of the top panel of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists or AMMA. The panel, led by Mohanlal as president, said it is taking moral responsibility “in light of allegations made by some actors against some of the committee”.

A Special Investigation Team is now probing the allegations.

In a statement last evening, Mohanlal said the film industry is answerable to the questions raised, but the actors’ association is targeted and blamed for everything.

“I am not part of any power group in Malayalam cinema and not aware of the existence of any such group. I have heard about it for the first time,” the actor said.

On the allegations against AMMA, he said, “AMMA is not an outfit with trade union nature. It was launched for the welfare of its members….The entire film industry is answerable to the questions regarding the Hema panel.”

There are several associations in the Malayalam film industry, but AMMA is blamed for everything. “It is not right to crucify an outfit alone for all these issues,” Mohanlal said.

New Delhi:

Amid a ‘#MeToo’ storm in the Malayalam film industry, actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar on Wednesday said the Kerala government-appointed Justice K Hema Committee was “much needed” to break the abuse faced by female professionals in cinema. Taking to her official X account, she said the “MeToo” moment prevailing in “our industry breaks you” and urged women not to compromise.

The Justice Hema Committee was constituted after the 2017 actress assault case and its report was made public last week. The 235-page report notes instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

“Kudos to the women who have stood their ground and emerged victorious,” Ms Sundar wrote in a long post on X.

“Abuse, asking for sexual favors, and expecting women to compromise to gain a foothold or accelerate their careers exist in every field. Why is a woman alone expected to go through the grind? Although men too face it, it’s marginally women who bear the brunt,” she added.

The fear of being shamed, victim blaming, and questions like “Why did you do it?” or “What made you do it?” break her, she said.

The victim might be a stranger to you or me, but she needs our “support, an ear to listen, and emotional backing” from us all, Ms Sundar, a BJP leader, said.

“When questioning why she didn’t come out earlier, we need to consider her circumstances – not everyone is privileged to speak out,” she added.

Khushbu Sundar On Father’s Abuse

Khushbu Sundar said some people ask her what took her so long to speak about her father’s abuse.

“I agree I should have spoken earlier. But what happened to me, was not a compromise to build my career. I was abused at the hands of the person who was supposed to provide me the strongest arms to hold me if I fell,” she wrote

This moment of #MeToo prevailing in our industry breaks you. Kudos to the women who have stood their ground and emerged victorious. The #HemaCommittee was much needed to break the abuse. But will it?

Abuse, asking for sexual favors, and expecting women to compromise to…

— KhushbuSundar (@khushsundar) August 28, 2024

Ms Sundar, who has been a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW), said last year that she was sexually abused by her father at the age of 8.

When she was 15 years old, she started revolting against her father who then left the family in the lurch, the actor-politician said at a town hall last year.

Khushbu Sundar’s Warning To A Producer

Khushbu Sundar also spoke to NDTV on Wednesday and said women have to stand up, come out and speak up. Asked whether she faced any such instances, she said that there was a very stray incident when she had just entered South Indian cinema. 

“There was a producer who approached me because I was here (the industry) alone and I didn’t have a Godfather. So probably this producer must have thought that I would succumb to the pressure,” she said.

“He gave me kind of a hint when he walked into my makeup room when I was shooting for a Telugu film. I removed my slippers and told him I wear 41 (the size). Do you want to take a whack right here or do you want me to hit you in front of the unit? And that put him in place,” she told NDTV, adding that women have to stand up for themselves at the “very moment”.

She also said that not only women, but men should also come out and support them.

“Because we women work in an atmosphere thinking probably men around us would be there to support us and protect us. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen at times,” she said.