New Delhi: Following the release of the Hema Committee Report and renewed scrutiny of the Kerala film industry due to a #MeToo resurgence, a new book will address various cases of sexual violence, including the scandal that exposed issues within Malayalam cinema.

Journalist Nidhi Suresh’s upcoming book, published by A Suitable Agency, will delve into numerous sexual assault cases, drawing from her six years of investigative reporting. The catalyst for her book was a 10-month investigation into the 2017 sexual assault of a female actor in Kochi. The incident, involving six hired criminals, allegedly orchestrated by actor Dileep, sparked significant upheaval in Kerala, a state often considered progressive.

This case not only ignited resistance, but also triggered an existential crisis in Kerala, prompting a movement akin to the global #MeToo campaign. In response, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) was formed in 2017, leading to the establishment of the Justice K Hema Committee to document the working conditions of women in Malayalam cinema. Although the report was kept private for five years, a redacted version was released in August, sparking a renewed wave of #MeToo activism in Kerala.

Suresh remarked, “What the domino effect of (the) 2017 sexual assault really does is that it forces us to reckon with ourselves. It pushes us to reflect on our own ecosystems and the way these conversations play out within our own intimate spaces. I spent most of my school years in Kerala. My own first encounters with intimacy and abuse took place in Kerala. As a Malayalee living in Delhi, I've always struggled to explain the shape and extent of patriarchy in Kerala.”

The book aims to explore the patriarchal power structures that perpetuate sexual violence and the ways in which they manipulate and control the narratives surrounding these issues. (Agencies)