Mollywood's MeToo Horror Spill Over: Kannada Film Body Seeks Hema Committee Report Like Document

Mollywood's #MeToo Spills Over To Sandalwood: The findings of the Hema Committee report have jolted Mollywood after it exposed the systematic sexual abuse and misconduct faced by women artists in the Malayalam film industry. Following the report, several film industries have urged the state government to set up a similar redressal system for their artists as well. In the latest update, the Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE) has demanded the Karnataka government constitute a committee headed by a retired judge to study numbers and report on issues faced by women including sexual harassment in the Kannada Film Industry.

Kannada artists seek state intervention to begin investigation on sexual assault cases 

Following the Hema Committee Report exposé in the Malayalam film industry, artists from various other industries have also demanded a similar report and a redressal system. The 235-page report exposes the systematic abuse and unequal power distribution within Mollywood. Now, 153 Sandalwood artists have signed a submission sent to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri Siddaramaiah, seeking to set up a committee to investigate the sexual harassment faced by women in the industry.

In the submission, the artists asserted, "In the wake of the Justice Hema Committee's report highlighting systemic issues faced by women including sexual harassment in the Malayalam Film Industry, FIRE, the Film Industry  for Rights & Equality, calls upon the Karnataka government to take immediate action to address similar concerns within the Kannada Film Industry"." The two demands of FIRE include 
1. Conduct a thorough investigation into the systemic issues faced by women in KFI including sexual harassment.

2. Develop and recommend policies to ensure a healthy and equitable work environment for all women in the industry.

The demands have been signed by 153 prominent members of the Kannada film industry including actors Sudeep, Shruthi Hariharan and director Pawan Kumar. 
 

Telugu Film Industry seeks to publish Hema Commitee-like report 

Before the Kannada Film industry, artists in the Telugu film industry too sought a committee to be set up to seek justice for women artists who have faced sexual misconduct at work. After triggering a storm in Malayalam cinema,  Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) is now determined to expose the harassment and abuse faced by women in the Telugu film industry. “We, the women of the Telugu film industry, welcome the Hema Committee report and applaud the persistent efforts of the WCC in Kerala, which has laid the path to this momentum.” The statement revealed that a support group was created for women in the Telugu film industry in 2019. “Taking a cue from the WCC, The Voice of Women, a support group for women in the TFI, was created in 2019," the statement added. 
 

Soon after the WCC released the statement, Telugu artists, including Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kousalya and Nandini Reddy, joined the moment and urged the statement government to step up a committee. They shared the statement on their social media handle, supporting WCC's move to help make the industry a better place for female artists. Besides Telugu, artists in the Bengali film industry have too demanded a redressal system for women in television, web platforms and film industry