‘This whole thing is for protection of women,’ actor Radhikaa Saratkumar on Hema Committee

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 31 (ANI): Actor Radhikaa Sarathkumar reacted to the findings of the recently released Hema Committee report that gives explosive details of sexual harassment and exploitations faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
Sarathkumar elaborated on the initiative by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), that led to the findings of the Hema Committee Report. She added that the report was not made public for four years and the details were made public only after court order.
Speaking with ANI, she said, "The Hema Committee was started by WCC, a group of women who are standing up for women's rights and working conditions...they had gone to the Hema Committee. But, after the report was constituted, it was not published. It had gone to the government and it was lying there for four years till they went to court. The court had to tell them to release the findings. So once it came out, a lot of allegations came. And it has gone out of proportion in Kerala with naming the artists who are in the top bracket of the Malayalam film industry."
"This whole thing is for the protection of women...In my long career, I have seen a lot of things which we have to keep changing. Times have changed and people's characters have changed. Education and lifestyle have gone up. How we address it is very important," Radhikaa added.
Earlier in the day, veteran actor Mohanlal also praised the Kerala government for releasing the Justice Hema Committee report.
"We welcome the Hema Committee report. It was the right decision by the government to release that report. AMMA cannot answer all the questions. These questions should be asked from everyone. This is a very hardworking industry. Many people are involved in it. But everyone cannot be blamed for this. Those responsible will be punished, investigation is going on," the actor said.
Mohanlal said he was not part of any power group in the Malayalam film industry and he has no knowledge of the existence of any such group in the sector.
"Wrongdoers should be punished if there is evidence against them," the "Drishyam" actor said while referring to the allegations of sexual misconduct and assaults that surfaced against some of the members of the Association.
A few days ago, Mohanlal, along with other AMMA leaders, resigned from their positions following serious allegations of sexual abuse made by several female actors against prominent figures in Malayalam cinema, including director Ranjith and actors Siddique and Mukesh.
A redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report on harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry was made public, earlier this month. The report containing shocking accounts of harassment, exploitation, and ill-treatment of women professionals has taken the whole industry by storm. (ANI)