Amid widespread criticism over his resignation along with that of the rest of the executive committee of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) in the face of #MeToo allegations in the Malayalam film industry, actor Mohanlal was slammed by author and columnist Shobhaa De for his “silence”.
“Stand up, be a man; tell your other team members to take responsibility and help those who are at the receiving end,” De lashed out at the veteran actor, who was also the president of AMMA, in an interaction with NDTV.
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The Malayalam film industry has been rocked with allegations of sexual exploitation, assault and abuse, following the release of the Hema Committee report earlier this month. The committee was set up by the Kerala government in 2017, thanks to the efforts of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) after the sexual assault on a popular Malayali actor. The report, which was submitted in 2019, but was made public only earlier this month, detailed the issues faced by the women in the Malayalam film industry, including sexual harassment and poor working conditions on sets. Cases have been being filed against some top actors and directors like Jayasurya, Ranjith and V.K. Prakash, and others.
Calling out the “patriarchal system” prevailing in the film industry, she asked how did the resignation of Mohanlal and the other AMMA members help.
“It's a patriarchal system in its nastiest, most toxic form. Women seem to be completely voiceless and powerless. So, things must be changed. I am extremely, in a way, disheartened, shocked that (all) the all-powerful executive committee headed by Mohanlal could do was to resign en masse. How does it help?”
"Good leadership is about saying they are going to stay right where they are and ensure some kind of action against the perpetrators of violence against women...,” De said.
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She also lashed out at the Hindi film industry for its silence on the issue. “I am equally shocked that not a single strong, male voice has emerged out of Bollywood. Not a single male actor of any worth has spoken against what they are seeing in the industry. They are all colleagues. You stand by your colleagues when they need you and speak up when needed to speak up, whether men or women," De told NDTV.
Recently, actor and one of the founding members of the WCC, Sajitha Madathil told Hindustan Times that Mohanlal's resignation was “disappointing”. She said the resignations appear to be an attempt to avoid responsibility. She also lamented the silence of megastar Mammootty and actor-director and FEFKA chief B. Unnikrishnan.
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“They (the 17-member executive committee of AMMA) should have stayed and worked towards resolving the issues and supporting the victims. It’s disappointing to see them step away instead of taking on the responsibility of addressing the problems. It’s very sad. They are powerful people. Mohanlal is a respectable person in the industry. He should have taken the initiative to clear the situation,” Madathil told HT.
Will Mohanlal talk to the media about the MeToo allegations?
The Malayalam superstar is expected to meet the media at noon today in Thiruvananthapuram. Onmanorama quoted the Kerala Cricket Association as saying that Mohanlal will address the media following the launch of the Kerala Cricket League, at Hyatt Regency.
It will be his first media interaction since his resignation as AMMA president. It is learnt that the executive committee had initially planned to meet to discuss the Hema Committee report and the #MeToo allegations and the resignation of actor and joint secretary Siddique, but postponed it after allegations surfaced against another joint secretary and actor Baburaj, too.
