In 2013, director Sudhir Mishra made a film titled Inkaar starring Arjun Rampal and Chitrangda Singh that dealt with the issue of sexual harassment in a corporate setup, where a CEO’s protégé files a lawsuit against him. While the conversation surrounding this issue isn’t new, the need for a safe work environment for women has gained more momentum than ever following the Kolkata rape-murder case earlier this month. Days later, a much-talked-about report was released by the Justice K Hema Committee on the sexual harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry.
Women actors and technicians across the entertainment business in different states are once again raising their voices against sexual assault. Reacting to the outrage that the Hema Committee Report has given rise to, Mishra, in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, says, “I made a whole film on it. What can I say more than that? There are people who tweet and get very happy because they tweet. But I’m a film person.”
The veteran filmmaker, who’s currently awaiting the release of his web series Tanaav Season 2, continues, “So, whether it is the politics of the country or false propaganda—a theme that was dealt with in Afwaah—if it’s a subject that I feel like discussing, I make a film on it. Whenever I feel the need to share my feelings on a subject, and every time there’s exploitation, I make a film to state the obvious. If you’ve seen Inkaar, you’ll know that there was nuance in it.”
Mishra further reveals that he has been talking to women who are the founding members of the Women In Cinema Collective and trying to understand the situation in the Malayalam film industry. “We’re talking about the Kerala film industry, but we don’t know its nuances. I’ve no idea about what went wrong. There’s a committee, and there are many responsible people there. I’ve spoken to some women who I know from Kerala, who are now in charge, and I trust them a lot. I don’t know if I’m at liberty to name them,” he remarks.
Hoping for better times to prevail over Mollywood, the Chameli director opines, “I think they’ll take care of it. I know that Kerala will manage well. Beyond that, I don’t know the specifics. It’s very unfair to talk about a situation about which you don’t know much. But in Bombay, there’s a big change that has happened. Better times are already here.”
On a related note, the Women’s Forum for Screen Workers in the Bangla film industry has issued a charter of demands to reinforce the dignity of women in the workplace, which was signed by 50 actors and technicians. On August 29, an FIR was filed against actor-turned-politician Mukesh and actors Jayasurya (pertaining to intent to outrage a woman’s modesty) and Edavela Babu following a complaint by actor Minu Muneer. A group of 100 women writers and activists have released a joint statement demanding Mukesh’s resignation on ‘moral grounds.’
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