#MeToo in Mollywood: In a significant move towards reforming the Malayalam film industry, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has launched an initiative aimed at improving industry practices.
With the aim of bringing much-needed reforms to the Malayalam film industry, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has launched an initiative with suggestions to improve industry practices. They propose making contracts mandatory for all industry personnel.
Contracts are one of the five ways the WCC aims to streamline the Malayalam film industry. The WCC demands for employment contracts for all cine employees which specifies employer and employee details, remuneration and payment terms, work profile, credit, work term, and the film title. The contract should include a PoSH clause and there should be a body created to deal with the redressal breach of contracts. Furthermore, the industry should approve a contract template for caste and crew. The WCC also proposes release forms for all daily wage employees.
Recently, on their Instagram page, the WCC raised the demand for a ‘Cinema Code Of Conduct.’ The code calls for universal adoption of all stakeholders to ensure that the Malayalam film industry norms change to bring fairness along with creative and professional equality.
The Cinema Code of Conduct will enforce a ‘Zero Tolerance Policy‘ with the following tenets-
- No sexual harassment as defined by PoSH Act 2013.
- No gender-based discrimination, bias, abuse, or harassment.
- No class, caste, religion, ethnicity based discrimination, bias, abuse, or harassment.
- No working under the influence of any intoxicant.
- No illegal commission charged by agents or production crew.
- No intimidation, verbal abuse, coercion, violence, unspoken ban, or forced worked disruptions against any law-abiding cine worker by any person or entity.
- Developing an official redressal forum to report all violations.
The demand for a CCC was made in light of the recently released Hema Committee report. The findings of the report were not shocking for the women working in the Malayalam film industry but it has empowered many to take the courageous step of breaking the silence surrounding exploitation of women in the workforce and bringing much-needed change. The Hema Committee report states that gender discrimination in any form in a workplace has the same gravity as sexual atrocities. It recommends creating a transparent and stable system which prevents further gender disparity in the film industry.
Inside The Hema Committee Findings
On August 19, 2024 the Hema Committee report was released five years after being submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The report exposes the systemic sexual harassment and abuse women face in the Malayalam film industry. The report was commissioned in light of the gruesome sexual assault of an actress inside a moving vehicle. The case, which is stuck in court currently, saw many eye witnesses turning hostile against the victim over the course of the trail, highlighting a culture of extortion and blackmail by people in power to bury such cases. People who supported the survivor were unofficially blacklisted from the industry as well.
In the aftermath of the case, the Women in Cinema Collective was formed. The group consisted of prominent women in the Malayalam film industry, including Manju Warrier, Parvathy, Rima Kallingal, and Remya Nambeesan. Post the assault, the Kerala government instated the Hema Committee, headed by Justice Hema, which invited women from the industry to share their experiences.
The report detailed the lack of basic amenities such as changing rooms and toilets for women and exposed widespread sexual harassment and exploitation. The existence of a powerful “mafia” or lobby of directors, producers, and technicians was also revealed, with accusations that this lobby controlled the careers of women in the industry, demanding sexual favors in return for work. One of the most shocking revelations was the report’s mention of minors potentially being victims of harassment, as the report referred to some victims as “girls” rather than women.
The report detailed numerous instances of women being harassed on set, with male actors, producers, and directors allegedly knocking on female actors’ doors at night, demanding sexual favours. Those who refused were subjected to mental harassment, such as being forced to repeat intimate scenes multiple times. One actress was reportedly asked to perform a kiss scene 17 times by a director in retaliation for complaining.
The WCC’s initiative and the call for a Cinema Code of Conduct represent a pivotal moment for the Malayalam film industry. By advocating for mandatory contracts and a zero-tolerance policy against unethical practices, the WCC is driving a much-needed transformation. The momentum generated by the Hema Committee report has highlighted the urgency of these reforms, offering a pathway toward a more equitable and safer work environment for everyone in the industry. The collective’s efforts underscore the importance of addressing systemic issues and fostering a culture of accountability and respect in the Malayalam film industry.
