How we address Hema Committee report is very important, says Radhika Sarathkumar

Chennai: Actor Radhika Sarathkumar has responded to the recent Hema Committee report, which reveals disturbing details of sexual harassment and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. She highlighted that the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) played a key role in bringing these issues to light and noted that the report was kept private for four years, only being released after a court order.

Speaking with ANI, she said, "The Hema Committee was started by WCC, a group of women who are standing up for women's rights and working conditions...they had gone to the Hema Committee. But, after the report was constituted, it was not published. It had gone to the government and it was lying there for four years till they went to court. The court had to tell them to release the findings. So once it came out, a lot of allegations came. And it has gone out of proportion in Kerala with naming the artists who are in the top bracket of the Malayalam film industry."

"This whole thing is for the protection of women...In my long career, I have seen a lot of things which we have to keep changing. Times have changed and people's characters have changed. Education and lifestyle have gone up. How we address it is very important," Radhika added.

Veteran actor Mohanlal also expressed his support for the Kerala government’s decision to release the Justice Hema Committee report. "We welcome the Hema Committee report. It was the right decision by the government to release that report. AMMA cannot answer all the questions. These questions should be asked from everyone. This is a very hardworking industry. Many people are involved in it. But everyone cannot be blamed for this. Those responsible will be punished, investigation is going on," the actor said.

Mohanlal clarified that he is not affiliated with any power groups in the film industry and was unaware of the existence of such groups. "Wrongdoers should be punished if there is evidence against them," the "Drishyam" actor said while referring to the allegations of sexual misconduct and assaults that surfaced against some of the members of the Association.

Recently, Mohanlal and other leaders of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) resigned from their positions amid serious allegations of sexual abuse against several prominent figures in Malayalam cinema, including director Ranjith and actors Siddique and Mukesh.

Earlier this month, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report was made public. The report, which details shocking accounts of harassment and mistreatment of women in the industry, has stirred significant reaction throughout the film community.

Agency