The sexual exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry and some of the reactions by ‘fans’ on social media spring from the same mindset. Social media ‘moralists’ are, by definition, procrustean, attempting to fit a person into a pre-determined role. Tyrannical governments are the same, and so are patriarchal societies. It is a combination against which some actresses have spoken up with courage and a lack of concern for consequences.
Victim-blaming
Women being seen as merely sex objects by the rich and powerful and the victim-shaming on social media — both presuppose an attitude where entitled men can do no wrong while the women are responsible for their trauma.
Sadly, victim-blaming is not restricted to the fans of the accused. Award-winning actress Sarada, one of the three women who made up the Justice Hema Committee, says in her comment, “Today there is a lot of influence of Western culture on our society. Everybody mingles with each other quite openly.” The suggestion that the abused women invited the advances of men is disgusting.
Paedophiles too
More abhorrent are the portions of the report which refer to ‘girls’ as distinct from ‘women’. The report says, “The girls who are called for work would be given a chance in cinema if they comply with the demands for sex.” So there are paedophiles, too, among the actors.
If the better-known actresses are speaking about the predators or about being raped in a moving vehicle by hired thugs, what of those lower down the pecking order? “Junior artistes are treated worse than slaves,” says the report. The 290-page report makes for depressing reading.
‘Me-too’ is a convenient shorthand, but it is bland and shorn of horror. Let’s call the worst of the crimes by its name: rape. One top actor even outsourced rape. The victim lives with the trauma; the perpetrator gets back to work.
Malayalam films are some of the most intelligent made in the country. They don’t treat the viewers like idiots and handle delicate subjects with finesse. The movie that won the national award for best film recently, Aatam, about a woman who may or may not have been molested while on tour, points to the difficulty of determining guilt with proof.
Political protection
The ‘lobby’ and ‘mafia’ the actresses speak of in the report can be easily identified, says an insider, and more heads are bound to roll even as criminal cases are being registered.
Yet, if there is a sense of unease, it is because, with heinous crimes, there seems to be a measure of political protection whether in Bengal or Uttar Pradesh or, indeed, in Kerala. This gives the culprits a sense of impunity that keeps replenishing itself. Just as some businessmen are more equal than others, some rapists and sexual predators who happen to be actors know they are more equal too.
The Hema Committee’s solutions might appear weak, but the problems raised are genuine. By translating rumours into recorded complaints, it has exposed what lay so far in the realm of gossip. Criminals deserve punishment, but will we ever get there?
