MeToo in the Film World

Looking back upon the milieu of the Indian film industry of the early 20th century, a predisposition regarding the perception of women prevailed within the industry. The burden of maintaining a desired moral image both on and off screen loomed over women while men were particularly free from the same with regard to their career or decorum. With the rise of social awareness towards such issues and particularly with the rise of the MeToo movement in focus, these notions were put forward in society to raise a voice for the women being sexually exploited in the film industry.

A protest in New Delhi marking the first anniversary of the Delhi-Damini gang rape, 2013; Source: The Wire

The MeToo movement started by Tarana Burke, a social activist in the year 2006 paved the way for the stories shared by women who speak out, highlighting the normalization of sexual harassment in the industry. Protest for this movement is considered to have begun in India through Tanushree Dutta’s comment in 2018 and the accusation made against the actor Nana Patekar. Several cases of sexual harassment came into the limelight following this - from the director Vikas Bahl to actor Alok Nath to Tamil lyricist Vairumuthu and Radha Ravi, the actor and president of Tamil Nadu Dubbing Union. In the end, none of them was found guilty and the cases didn’t lead towards much of a fruitful ending for the women who stood up in this matter.

Another crucial controversy that was embroiled in the MeToo movement by victims circled around Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Khan. There have been not one but several accusations against him for sexual misconduct. The issue was started by Saloni Chopra and led several others which included Sherlyn Suri, Sherlyn Chopra, and also late actress Jiah Khan as addressed by Mandana Karimi, her sister to come out and speak. The filmmaker was banned for one year after the declaration made by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE). This was lifted in the year 2019, a decision that received flak and was disapproved by those in support of the ones who shared their stories as being the victims of the harassment.

Within the Telugu Film Industry, the movement was sparked by women at the bottom tier of the industry. A woman and an aspiring actress namely Sri Reddy’s semi-nude protested in front of the Movie Artists Association (MAA) in Hyderabad ignited a wide response from the public while there was a decision initiated by MAA to impose a ban on her. Four issues were particularly raised by her which were the demand for sexual favours from the ones who sought work, absence of ground to voice grievances, negligence towards Telugu actors as they are not deemed glamorous enough to suit the role of heroines and fear of speaking out for potential stigmatization.

This protest compelled NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) to issue notices to the Chief Secretary of Telangana and the Secretary of the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting. A report was requested with regard to the voiced grievances on the part of women actors. The step taken by Sri Reddy also opened a window for many aspiring women actors and others to share their stories.

How the working milieu of the film industry impacts the issue in discussion is brought to the forefront with the dissemination of cases voiced by women engaged in it. On one hand, the flexibility of time and space which this particular career entails also points out the possibility of women being subjected to scenarios of harassment and on the other hand, another concern arises which is that of the presence of middlemen in this industry and the practice of promising work in exchange for sexual services. This problem is known through stories circulated about the Telegu film industry.

Activists of the state keeping in regard to the stories voiced by women following the Reddy case laid out several demands in front of the Chairperson of the Telangana Film Development Corporation in June 2018. A committee was formed by the state government in the year 2019 to navigate or investigate the issue of exploitation in the Telugu Film Industry. Another dimension of this issue within the film industry is its film stars’ ties with politics. With the MeToo movement spiralling up the internet, the instance of Sri Reddy's comment on Pawan Kalyan grasped the attention of the media, making her the target of a huge fan base that attacked her maliciously. It ultimately led to a situation which propelled her to apologize and withdraw her accusation.

However, no matter how widely the movement had made its mark in the Indian film industry or how many women raised their voices as victims of sexual abuse, it is true that in reality, the issue is far more complicated to be dealt with when it comes to the question of the justice for the victims. The film industry is not just the professionals within it but also its spectators i.e. the fans. Thus, ultimately in any case as such, power plays an important role in delineating which side must be favoured.

This movement has created one of the biggest spaces allowing women to unite and share stories, bringing them closer to one another. The intent and opportunity provided have been immense, but the consequences of it with regard to the victims still remain questionable.