Lakshmi Manchu Strongly Reacts To Hema Committee Report: 'Life Is Not Fair To Women'

Actress Lakshmi Manchu has strongly reacted to Justice Hema Committee’s report. In a recent interview, Manchu, who recently made her Malayalam debut with Mohanlal in Monster, talked about the report and stated that the film industry isn’t fair to women. She also urged everyone to stand up against the wrong.

“Let me tell you something, life is not fair to women, not just in the film industry… How do we change that? Stand up for yourself. I’ve been pushed over, but I stood my ground. I might lose a few (things), but I know I’m gaining for the person who’s coming after me,” Lakshmi told Hindustan Times.

“I’m standing for thousands of women who have been burned because they had a voice. If they said, I will not say anything, I wouldn’t be here today,” she continued and then added by saying, “The whole MeToo movement happened with one woman deciding that she has had enough… The one voice resounded with millions and gave voice and sound to millions and they were able to come out and speak for themselves. That is the power of standing up.”

Lakshmi clarified that she has not faced anything negative while working in the Malayalam film industry. However, she also mentioned that this does not mean she is denying the cases of sexual advances in the industry. “There will be people hitting on you thinking that you won’t go talk about it. You have to learn artistic ways of saying no,” she said.

Manchu revealed that even she has faced untoward advances. She further called the world a ‘nasty’ place and called for sex education. “That happens because we are not properly sex educated. We don’t know how to handle our hormones. So we only project. Men need to learn how to keep it in their pants,” she added.

What Is Justice Hema Committee Report?

In 2017, a Malayalam actress actress was sexually assaulted following which the government formed a three-member commission. While it was headed by Justice K Hema (retired), former bureaucrat KB Valsalakumari and veteran actress Sharada were the other two team members. The report, which was submitted to the government in 2019, was made available to the public earlier this week. The report investigates several aspects of the Malayalam film industry including sexual harassment, lack of basic facilities like women’s toilets and changing rooms, pay disparity and discrimination on the basis of gender.