Kangana Ranaut Breaks Silence On Sexual Assault In Malayalam Film Industry: 'There Are Women Who...'

The series of sexual assault allegations against members of the Malayalam film industry have left the entire nation shocked and concerned. It all started after the findings of the Justice Hema Committee report were made public. Recently, Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut also reacted to the sexual harassment allegations and claimed that the industry was hiding it for ‘six years’.

Kangana recalled calling out rape and item number culture when she appeared on Aamir Khan’s show Satyamev Jayate 10 years ago. “Same sexist cinema, promoting women violence, is doing better than ever. And, about this Kerala report, I have been talking about it for so long, but where did it go? It went nowhere,” she told India Today as quoted by Free Press Journal.

Kangana further expressed her disappointment with women who promote item numbers and added, “I am disappointed in women who do not promote other women’s work.” “There are women who ask me why I am fighting. But whom am I fighting for? I have only lost opportunities,” the actress continued.

The cases of sexual assault in the Malayalam film industry made headlines after the findings of the Justice Hema Committee Report were made public earlier this month. It followed a series of allegations by several actresses who then accused male members of the industry of harassing them. So far, 17 cases have been filed. Earlier today, an FIR was also filed against director Ranjit for allegedly assaulting a Bengali actress.

Meanwhile, Mohanlal has also resigned as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists. The actor announced his decision and left everyone shocked. He was the president of the association and had a 17-member executive committee. However, all the members of the executive committee submitted their joint resignation.

Several actors have reacted to the shocking findings of the Hema Committee report. While Chiyaan Vikram called the findings ‘disgusting’, Tovino Thomas also called for strict punishment. “If someone has done such a terrible thing to anyone, be it a man or a woman, they should get the deserved punishment. They shouldn’t be spared, that’s the basic thing to do. They should not just be punished but we must ensure that this doesn’t happen again. That awareness, that education system must be there so that (the workspace is safer for women),” the latter said.

Recently, Telugu star Nani also mentioned that the findings of the committee are very ‘disturbing’. Prior to this, Prithviraj Sukumaran also addressed the report and criticised the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for not properly handling complaints from survivors.