Celebrated singer Chinmayi Sripaada, a key face of the "MeToo" movement in India, has expressed hope that the Hema Committee Report's exposure of the dark underbelly of Kerala's film industry will encourage more women survivors of sexual violence to come forward and report it. "Siddique and Ranjith, who have resigned, are not the only two in the Kerala film industry facing allegations of sexual offences," she told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
The Justice Hema Committee report — providing sordid details of sexual abuse, systemic harassment, and a "criminal nexus" within Mollywood — has opened a Pandora's box of more complaints against senior artistes and directors.
Shortly after its contents were made public, director Ranjith Balakrishnan and actor Siddique, resigned from their positions in the Kerala Chalachitra Academy and Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), amid allegations of misconduct.
On Monday, a junior artiste in the Malayalam film industry accused award-winning actor and director Baburaj of rape. Baburaj, who is the Joint Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors, or AMMA, has denied any wrongdoing.
Chinmayi highlighted the difficulties survivors face in seeking justice, including loss of livelihood and challenges in proving sexual offences.
She underscored the need for a swift and sensitive justice system, citing her own experience of being banned from dubbing and facing a badly hit singing career after levelling molestation allegations against lyricist Vairamuthu and actor Radha Ravi.
The system, she said, makes it difficult for survivors to file police complaints, sharing her own experience of being molested several years ago and the taboo surrounding police stations at the time and the long period of trial.
She praised the actors in Kerala who have spoken out against sexual abuse and expressed her desire for other people in industries to follow suit.
Asked about women in many cases not coming forward to file police complaints, she said, "Most of it is circumstantial evidence. Even bruises get healed in a few days".
"We need a swift sensitive legal system from the very beginning. We can't be carrying bodycam all the time. Violations like molestation happen in a jiffy," she said.
The ICC system was brought in to make the system faster but hasn't worked, she said, underscoring that they "expected a lot from the National Commission for Women".
The political class and the film industry, she said, continue to associate with those facing "MeToo" allegations. "Politicians support men facing sexual harassment allegations because they are vote banks," she added.
