Tanushree Dutta shared her views on the Justice K Hema Committee's report addressing sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry. In a recent interview, Tanushree expressed her dissatisfaction with the report, labeling it as "useless," and also questioned the effectiveness of the Vishakha Committee (formerly the Women’s Grievances Committee), which is responsible for preventing workplace harassment.
Tanushree Dutta calls Hema Committee useless
Reacting to the Hema Committee’s findings, Tanushree told News 18, “These committees and reports, I don’t understand them. I think they’re useless. It took them seven years to make a report on what happened in 2017? What’s the point of this new report anyway? All they had to do was arrest the accused and enforce a strong law and order system. I remember hearing about the Vishakha Committee, which came up with so many guidelines and prepared pages and pages of reports, but what happened after that? The names of the committees just keep changing."
"Nana Patekar, Dileep are narcissistic psychopaths"
She didn’t hold back in her criticism, specifically targeting individuals like Nana Patekar and Dileep, whom she described as "narcissistic psychopaths." Tanushree added, "There’s no cure for them. Only a vicious and vengeful man can do what they did. I don’t care about these committees. I have no trust in this system. It feels like with these reports and committees, they’re just wasting our time rather than doing the real work. Having a safe workplace is a basic right for a woman — or any human being, for that matter.”
"Male actors Look down on their female counterparts"
When asked about Dileep continuing to find work despite the serious allegations against him, while Parvathy Thiruvothu—who has consistently spoken out against gender discrimination—faces difficulties in securing opportunities, Tanushree Dutta told News 18, "That’s the weirdest thing. There’s no compassion. When it comes to actresses, male actors are prejudiced. They look down on their female counterparts as second-class citizens. You’re supposed to stay in line, behave a certain way, not open your mouth too much, and not complain about anything. If something really bad happens, we’re supposed to accept it as our fate without making a big issue out of it.”
Justice Hema Committee report
The Justice Hema Committee's report has unveiled shocking instances of exploitation, mistreatment, and harassment faced by women in the industry. The report accuses a "criminal gang" of having significant control over the industry, targeting women who refuse to conform and pushing them out.
The panel also highlighted a "power nexus" comprising a small group of producers, directors, actors, and production controllers who wield considerable influence within the industry.
The Kerala government established this committee following the 2017 actress assault case involving actor Dileep, to investigate issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam cinema.
Released on Monday, the report brings to light the pervasive sexual harassment experienced by women in the industry, with many claiming they faced unwelcome advances even before their work began.
Tanushree Dutta had accused Nana Patekar of harassing her on the set of 'Horn Ok Please' in 2008. In 2018, during the MeToo movement in India, she once again brought the incident to light, revealing how her career had suffered after she spoke out about the harassment.