Meet the women in Kerala’s film industry speaking out against sexual harassment and alleged exploitation by influential men. Tune in on SBS at 9.30pm Tuesday 16 June or watch live on SBS On Demand.
Content warning: This article contains references to sexual assault and rape.
Priya (not her real name) was a young model with dreams of becoming an actor. So when she received a Facebook friend request from one of India’s biggest stars, Siddique, she thought she’d unlocked a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"For me, he was a legend. He used to speak with me like an older person who’s caring for their daughter," Priya says.
She says the award-winning actor — then in his 50s — encouraged her ambitions and invited her to his hotel to discuss a film project in 2016.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
During their meeting, Priya claims Siddique told the then-21-year-old she would need to "make adjustments" if she wanted to succeed. The term is commonly understood by women in the film industry as a demand for sexual favours.
"Slowly, he started touching my hand … I then realised that this was a great trap," Priya claims.
"I was so lost and numb ... I couldn’t move. I completely froze up."
Siddique Mamathu, known mononymously as Siddique, is an Indian actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. Source: Supplied Priya alleges Siddique raped her then threatened to derail her career if she spoke publicly.
"[He said] 'you are not going to say anything to anyone ... Nobody is going to believe you. You and your profession are going to be affected by this'," she alleges.
"I went into a deep, dark hole for some years."
Siddique has denied the accusations, describing them as a criminal conspiracy to tarnish the reputation of the entire Malayalam-language film industry.
An industry shaken by allegations
While Bollywood has long dominated global perceptions of Indian cinema with its lavish Hindi-language musicals, Malayalam cinema or 'Mollywood' — based in the southern state of Kerala — releases about 200 films each year.
Its films are celebrated for their realism, complex characters and unconventional storytelling. But behind the critical acclaim lies a troubling reality, with stories like Priya’s commonplace.
Mollywood is the nickname for the Malayalam-language film industry, which is widely renowned for its gripping storytelling and realistic performances. Source: Getty / Hindustan Times For years, allegations of sexual harassment and abuse circulated quietly — but that changed in 2017.
One of Malayalam cinema's leading female actors was allegedly abducted in the city of Kochi and sexually assaulted inside a moving vehicle, as perpetrators filmed the incident.
The case sparked outrage across India.
Among those arrested and charged was one of Malayalam cinema’s biggest stars, Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, who goes by the screen name Dileep.
Prosecutors have accused him of orchestrating the attack. Dileep has denied the allegations and says he was wrongly accused.
Last year, after an eight-year legal battle, six men were convicted over the case and sentenced to 20-year prison sentences.
The survivor described her verdict as "a ray of light at the end of a very long and painful journey".
But Dileep was acquitted of conspiracy charges, with the judge ruling there was insufficient evidence to prove he had hired the men to assault the actor.
The Kerala government has filed an appeal against the ruling.
Despite facing serious allegations, Dileep is among several actors accused of misconduct who have continued to secure prominent roles.
Last year, Dileep starred in the box office hit comedy-drama, Prince and Family, and has another eight titles in production.
A movement for change
For acclaimed Mollywood filmmaker Bina Paul, the allegations against Dileep became a turning point.
She has worked in the male-dominated industry for 40 years, and after the alleged 2017 assault, she and a group of women wanted reform, and founded the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC).
"When we formed the WCC, which was even before #MeToo in the US, we were just a group of 17 or 18 women who thought that we needed to help a colleague who had been abducted and was going through really a bad time," Paul says.
Acclaimed filmmaker Bina Paul has fought for an end to sexual violence and harassment in the Malayalam film industry. Source: Supplied The WCC demanded a government investigation into sexual violence and gender discrimination in the industry. Their advocacy led to the creation of the Hema Committee, a landmark government-appointed inquiry into working conditions in Kerala's film industry.
Five years after being submitted in 2019, its report was publicly released following Right to Information applications by journalists.
It depicts an industry dominated by a small group of powerful men and documents allegations of widespre…
Read the full article at SBS News →
Australia