Exclusive/ It's Like Mafia: Mollywood #MeToo Victims Allege Sexual, Verbal Abuse 'Common' In Industry

Mollywood's #MeToo Horrors: Days after the findings of the Hema Committee Report were made public, incidents of sexual abuse and misconduct against women in the Malayalam industry continue to surface. The 235 -page report exposes the dark side of Mollywood and notes shocking accounts of harassment, exploitation, and ill-treatment of women professionals. Victims of the #MeToo horrors have now spoken to Republic World sharing their ordeal.

Actress Sonia Malhotra recalls when she was accused on set by a ‘superstar’

Actress Sonia Malhar is one of the victims who has shared her story following the Hema Committee expose in Mollywood. The actress recalled an incident that took place in 2013 on the sets of the film Thodupuzha. Without naming anyone, the actress shares, “That time one superstar, who is still a superstar. I had gone to use the restroom and just when I was exiting he unexpectedly hugged me from behind and tried to kiss me. I got scared that time and was very shocked. I asked him why he behaved in the manner to which he replied, ‘ You are a beautiful lady, you have a beautiful soul'. I am a social worker also, so I was doing a lot of charity which is why he was impressed by me. But that was abuse. I continued to work with him four days after the incident. He apologised at the time and did not repeat such behaviour.(sic)"

The actress mentioned sharing the incident now as she believes the truth of the industry needs to be ousted in front of the world. She added, "I recollected the incident because of the Hema Committee Report. I thought now is the right time to speak because this is a problem in the industry.” When asked if she is aware of other actresses who have faced the same situation, the actress shared, “Verbal abuse, sexual abuse, harassment happens here (Malayalam film industry), especially with ladies. We need safe locations, and safe rooms, we need justice and criminals should be punished. It is a very bad situation when we are afraid of going to our jobs.” She continued, "It is like a mafia. 80% of people including directors, producers and actors are in the know about the issues and ground reality. Everybody knows, they are all silent. This is very common in the Malayalam industry."

Actress Minu Muneer also calls out silence of industry bigwigs in #MeToo movement 

Minu Muneer is also among the top actresses who have come forward and shared their woes in public. The actress without taking any name shared, “He was shooting a film in the secretariat. I went to the washroom and while coming out he hugged me from behind and kissed me on the lips. I escaped and ran after this incident. All the artists were sitting there.” As per ANI, Muneer has accused actors Mukesh M, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Idavela Babu of both verbal and physical abuse during their collaborations on film projects.

Speaking to ANI, Muneer detailed her experiences, alleging a range of misconduct. "Once, as I was coming out from the toilet, Jayasurya hugged me from behind and even kissed me forcefully... After that, Idavela Babu expressed his interest in a sexual relationship with me," she claimed. As a result, the Kerala police have filed an FIR against actor and CPI (M) MLA from Kollam, Mukesh M.

After the shocking findings of the Hema Committee Report, several protests have been carried out utside Mukesh's residence in Thiruvananthapuram, where the police had set up barricades to prevent access to his home. Protestors have been demanding the actor to resign from his position as MLA. Following this agitated civilians also held out a demonstration outside the Kerala Cheif Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's residence demanding justice for victims and harsh punishments for the accused.