The Hema Committee report has opened a pandora’s box in Malayalam film industry with new distressing revelations of sexual abuse surfacing every day. FIRs related to sexual assault have been lodged against many prominent actors and directors of the industry.
In a new revelation, noted actress Radhika Sarathkumar made alarming revelations about the Malayalam film industry. Speaking to a Malayalam news channel, Radhika Sarathkumar has disclosed that hidden cameras were placed in the caravans of heroines to record nude scenes, which were later widely shared among several men involved in the film.
Radhika disclosed that hidden cameras were used in a caravan to record nude footage of actresses. She detailed that the recordings were stored in separate folders, with each folder being labelled with the names of different actresses.
The noted actress recounted personally witnessing men on set viewing these recordings on their mobile phones, as a result of which she ended up staying in a hotel room and avoided using a caravan during the entire shoot, she said.
She refused to name the movie saying she did not want to shame anyone.
“I have had experiences where women came to me, saying please help us. This is not just in Kerala, across languages,” Radhika said.
Welcoming the release of the Hema Committee report, she explained that she had experiences similar to that mentioned in the report.
“I have been in the industry for more than 40 years…Of course, people have misbehaved with me,” she said.
She said that inappropriate behavior persists among some individuals and stressed the need for women to assertively use the word “no.”
According to Radhika, no men in the industry have responded to these concerns, placing the onus of addressing such issues on women.
She remarked on the challenge of how effectively women can carry this responsibility. Radhika also mentioned that similar experiences have occurred in various languages beyond just Malayalam.
She explained that speaking out about issues in her workplace has personal repercussions, which is why she has avoided naming specific individuals.
Meanwhile, the Kasaba Police have registered a case against director Ranjith based on a complaint by a youth alleging sexual harassment. The case was filed under charges of unnatural sexual offence.
This is the first time a man has come forward with a sexual abuse complaint since a wave of #MeToo allegations hit the Malayalam film industry after the Hema Committee report came out.
Ranjith is one of the many leading figures in the Malayalam film industry against whom complaints of sexual harassment have been levelled by female actors.
In a related development, film director VA Shrikumar Menon has been booked by the Maradu Police in Kochi based on a complaint from a junior artist. The complainant alleged that the director sexually assaulted her at a hotel.