Interview/ Chinmayi Sripada, singer and voice actor
Q/ What do you have to say about the Hema committee report and the fallout?
A/ The women from the Women in Cinema Collective who fought and got this done are heroes. It is amazing. The rest of the country should follow this.
Q/ What are your takeaways from the report?
A/ I read only a part of it. But I have been following every development and I am in touch with the women there. More or less whatever the Hema committee report has said has been happening in the film industry. This could be true for any film industry in India. But I am glad that the report came out at this point in time and has emboldened the women to speak up. But I feel that there are a lot more women who do not speak up. Women can actually speak up despite all odds, but what happens thereafter is the most important thing. Most of us had forgotten what happened to Raya Sarkar [who made a list of sexual predators in academia] in 2017, the sexual harassment and the case and the report thereafter. Most people forgot the hounding she faced.
Also Read
- Mollywood sex scandal: Kerala police to take suo motu case on POCSO offences in Hema committee report
- Hema committee report: Kerala HC grills state govt for inaction; directs SIT to probe depositions
- Amid MeToo wave in Mollywood, Kannada film body demands panel to probe sexual harassment in Sandalwood
- Nivin Pauly trashes sexual abuse allegation, says he has never met the woman
- #MeToo in Malayalam cinema: ‘Not aware of Hema committee report’, says Rajinikanth
- ‘Hema committee report talks about involvement of Communist party leaders’
Q/ Could you tell us about the ordeal you faced in the dubbing industry after you accused Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu of sexual misconduct?
A/ Not just the industry, but the entire political setup in Tamil Nadu and the DMK’s IT wing were after my blood. Lots of Tamil people across the globe were after me for speaking out.
Q/ Do you think that the film industry also did not stand by you?
A/ Not just the fraternity, even my seniors―the singers in the Tamil industry―did not stand by me. All the senior singers in the industry ganged up against me to protect Vairamuthu and singer Karthik. More than the Tamil industry, the Telugu and the Malayalam industry were more understanding. I have asked my colleagues in Telugu and Malayalam industry to not work with Karthik, and they have agreed at times. I was disappointed with the way my whole fraternity reacted when I spoke up. I thought the people whom I respected the most, like singer Srinivasan sir, would support a woman who has been affected. But despite seeing the video evidence of Karthik misbehaving with a girl, Srini sir was the first to whitewash the accusations against Karthik. I lost six prime years of my career. I am not getting any younger. Why does society or my own fraternity punish me for speaking the truth? Like the #MeToo movement, I feel this should not die down. Karthik and Vairamuthu are still big in the industry. It is a cesspool of molesters.