For years, the dark side of Indian cinema was an open secret – stories of sexual harassment and the casting couch, where women were expected to offer sexual favors to get roles, were whispered but never spoken out loud. But everything changed in 2017 when a brave actress in Kerala’s Malayalam film industry, known as Mollywood, decided to expose these ugly truths, setting off a chain reaction that would shake the entire industry.

The Incident that Changed Everything

In February 2017, a well-known Mollywood actress was assaulted in a moving vehicle. She didn’t stay silent. She went to the police and pointed fingers at Dileep, a popular actor in Kerala. Dileep, known for his obsession with stardom, was arrested, and this sent shockwaves through the film industry. For the first time, a powerful celebrity was held accountable, and the illusion of immunity that film stars enjoyed began to crumble.

The incident wasn’t just about one person’s courage. Soon after, other women in the industry joined forces, and the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) was formed. This group aimed to bring attention to the mistreatment of women in Mollywood and push for changes in how the industry treated them.

The Government Steps In

Under pressure from the WCC and the public, the Kerala government formed a special committee in 2017 to investigate sexual harassment in the film industry. This committee was led by K. Hema, a retired High Court judge, along with veteran actress Sarada and retired bureaucrat KB Valsala Kumari. Their job was to uncover the reality of what women faced in Mollywood and suggest ways to improve things.

It took years for the committee to finalize its report – a 235-page document – which was finally made public in August 2023. The findings were shocking. The committee confirmed that the casting couch was real, and sexual harassment in the industry was rampant. Actresses had been subjected to everything from demands for sexual favors to physical and mental abuse.

The Fallout

The release of the report caused a massive shake-up in Mollywood. Several big names stepped down from their positions. Ranjith, a director known for films that glorified misogyny, resigned as head of the Kerala State Chalachitra (Motion Picture) Academy. Actor Siddique also quit as the general secretary of the powerful Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), and superstar Mohanlal stepped down as AMMA president, leading to the dissolution of its executive committee. These resignations sent a clear message – the days of ignoring women’s voices were over.

But while some took responsibility, others stayed silent. Mammotty, another Mollywood legend, didn’t comment, and Suresh Gopi, an actor-turned-politician, even pushed away reporters when asked about the accusations. Yet the pressure for change continued to grow, and the industry couldn’t simply brush it under the rug anymore.

The Shocking Findings of the Report

The committee’s findings went beyond just sexual harassment. It revealed that women were regularly denied basic rights on film sets. There were no proper changing rooms, no toilets, and women had to go without drinking water to avoid needing to use a bathroom. If actresses refused to give in to sexual demands, they were blacklisted from getting work.

The committee found that men in the industry were also victims of mistreatment, though to a lesser extent. Still, it was the women who faced the worst of it – many were isolated, harassed online, and forced to work in unsafe conditions. The committee made it clear that the industry’s culture needed to change, and quickly.

A Widespread Problem Across India

Mollywood wasn’t the only place where the casting couch was a problem. Bollywood, the giant Hindi film industry based in Mumbai, had its share of scandals too. Over the years, several actresses have spoken up about their experiences with sexual harassment. Isha Koppikar, Radhika Apte, and Prachi Desai have all revealed the inappropriate advances they faced from men in power.

There was also the infamous case of Shakti Kapoor, a Bollywood actor caught on camera trying to make advances toward a woman who was pretending to be an aspiring actress. This incident, along with others, sparked outrage but didn’t lead to any significant change. However, after the global MeToo movement in 2018, Bollywood started making small steps toward reform. There were stricter rules about how women were treated, and sexist behavior was no longer tolerated. But, as many pointed out, issues like pay inequality remained unresolved.

Tollywood and Beyond

The Telugu film industry, nicknamed Tollywood and based in the southern state of Telangana, also had its own MeToo moment. In 2018, actress Sri Reddy publicly exposed the casting couch practices in Tollywood, naming powerful industry figures. The government responded by forming a special committee, but despite meeting more than 20 times between 2019 and 2022, the report they produced was shelved. Unlike in Kerala, there wasn’t enough pressure within the industry to bring the report to light, and the fight for justice remained unfinished.

But the release of the Hema Committee report in Kerala inspired others. In Tamil Nadu, another southern state with a major film industry, actress Sanam Shetty came forward and admitted that the casting couch existed in her industry too. Slowly, women across Indian cinema were raising their voices and demanding change.

A Movement for Change

The WCC and the women it represented had a tough road ahead. Though they had made significant strides, their activism came with a cost. Many of the actresses involved in the WCC, including the outspoken Parvathy Thiruvothu, admitted that they were no longer getting work. They were being pushed out of the industry because they had spoken up.

Even so, they weren’t giving up. Beena Paul, a respected film editor and WCC member, made it clear that they were in this fight for the long haul. “We are working towards change,” she said. “It’s not easy, and it takes time, but we believe that it’s necessary.”

Moving Forward

In Mollywood, the fallout from the report was still unfolding. The state government was considering appointing a new head of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation, but even this decision was controversial. The candidate, filmmaker Shaji N. Karun, faced accusations of mistreating female directors, raising concerns about whether real change was possible.

In the meantime, the women who had fought for this movement weren’t backing down. Though they had lost work and faced backlash, they knew they were fighting for something bigger – a film industry where women could feel safe, respected, and treated as equals.

Change, it seemed, was coming slowly but surely. And the fight that started in a small corner of the Malayalam film industry was beginning to ripple across the whole of Indian cinema.