Superstar Rajinikanth said he is unaware of the Justice Hema committee and its report which shook the entire Malayalam film industry.
"What? I am not aware of it, sorry,” said actor Rajinikanth when presspersons asked him his reaction to the report and whether a similar committee should be set up for inquiry in Tamil cinema. The actor’s upcoming film ‘Vettaiyan’, in which he stars with Malayalam actor Manju Warrier (a WCC member), is all set for release on October 10.
On Sunday, Malayalam superstar Mammootty reacted for the first time to the report and said there is no ‘power group’ in Malayalam cinema. “There is no ‘power group’ in cinema; it isn’t a field where such a structure could exist,” Mammootty said in a Facebook post. He also welcomed recommendations and solutions in the report.
Actor and former Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) President Mohanlal had also said he is unaware about the presence of any power group in cinema and welcomed any probe over the recent #MeToo allegations.
Mollywood's 'MeToo' revelations come in the backdrop of the Hema committee report. 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 filed against some top actors and directors like Jayasurya, Ranjith, V.K. Prakash, Siddique and others.