
Besides being renowned artists, French Actress Sarah Bernhardt and American actress Eartha Kitt have something in common. They were victims of sexual abuse and harassment at work. Their lived experiences made them activists against gender-based violence and they were instrumental in impacting lasting changes in patriarchal power structures. India too has many artists who have experienced gender-based violence.
Historically gender-based violence, particularly sexual harassment and rape have been considered as attacks on man’s property. As per Roman and English law, men had authority over their women, and violence against women was treated as a ‘property crime’ against the man who owned the woman. During the wars, soldiers had the right to rape or marry conquered women. Indian history has several celebrated examples of royal women committing mass suicide to protect themselves from the atrocities of invading armies. Till the 1970s, domestic violence was legally accepted and widely practiced across the globe.
There were calls for equality for women from the early 19th century. It got momentum in the 1960s through the women’s liberation movement and it reached a confrontational dimension in the West. African American activist Tarana Burke coined the term ME TOO to support survivors of gender-based violence. In 2017 when more than 80 women came forward, accusing Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse, the ‘Me Too’ movement became very popular.
The Me Too movement gathered momentum in India in 2018, perhaps through the much-celebrated case involving Tanushree Dutta and Nana Patekar. Several women artists came up against filmmaker Sajid Khan with ‘me too’ allegations around the same time. The 2018 ‘Me Too’ uprise resulted in police complaints, investigations, increased conversations, and media coverage leading to amendments to sexual harassment laws in India.
Since 2013, Indian law has required every workplace with more than 10 employees to have an internal complaints committee to address issues of workplace sexual misconduct. Despite increased awareness and such legal instruments and policy changes at various levels, the lack of institutional support for victims, victim blaming, social stigma, and the power dynamics involved in these cases have led to the eventual paralysis of the ‘Me too’ movement in India.
In February 2017, an actress in the Malayalam film industry based in Kerala was abducted and sexually assaulted by a group of men in a moving car. The huge public outcry that followed against this has resulted in the setting up of an inquiry committee (Justice Hema Committee) by the Kerala government. At the same time, 18 women artists from the Malayalam film industry came together under the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) and advocated strong action against perpetrators of violence against women in their industry.
The Hema committee probed issues faced by men and women in the film industry and gathered a lot of evidence. Though the report was submitted to the government as early as 2019, an edited report of it was finally published only in August 2024. The committee reported widespread sexual abuse and violence against women in the Malayalam film industry. It has specified the denial of human rights to women in cinema, casting couch, online harassment, and lack of clear contracts to artists. A special investigation set up by the government is currently investigating the findings in the report.
After the publication of the report, several women artists – many from yesteryears and some even from the Bengali cinema came forward and shared their bitter experiences in the industry in public. Usual reactions ranging from silence, mockery of survivors, skepticism, and denial by the powerful film fraternity followed.
WCC continued its firm stand on the government taking stringent action against everyone who violated the law of the land which included several popular and leading actors and directors in Malayalam cinema. All the executive committee members of the powerful Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) had to resign eventually as some of the members were implicated in accusations of sexual assault.
The coming days will let us know what will happen to the powerful perpetrators of the crime. However, what is happening in Malayalam cinema is a welcome change from a long-term perspective. Beyond the current name-calling and individual shaming, this will give rise to systemic changes in gender inclusivity and democratization. It will hopefully create a safer and more accountable film industry.
Usually, Malayalam cinema sets the trend in India and other language films join the change sooner rather than later. The impact of ‘Me Too’ in the Malayalam film industry is likely to spread into other language films including Bollywood in the coming days.
Indeed, the powerful and the rich have always given patronage to art across the world. But all over the world production and distribution of art is now being democratized and inclusive. Just like what is happening in the music industry, new technologies offer newer media platforms for artistic expression. The democratization of art is not only due to advancements in technology but also due to social disruption triggered by recent radical social changes, pandemics, and economic crises.
The ongoing democratic changes will hopefully address the power dynamics and challenge the influence of the privileged perpetrators. Nevertheless, we need more awareness programs at all levels to work on social stigma – especially victim blaming and shaming and to transform entrenched patriarchal attitudes and belief systems. Stronger policies and measures should also be formulated and implemented. Strengthening law enforcement is non-negotiable in the coming days.
Thanks to increased awareness and conversations, there will be increased empathy and support for survivors. The future of art, especially cinema will be free from gender-based violence sooner than later as there will be diverse representation of artists and increased accountability within the industry. In brief, gendering and democratization of Indian cinema has finally gathered momentum and let us hope for the best!
Kandathil Sebastian is a social scientist and researcher based in Delhi