Parvathy Thiruvothu On Justice Hema Committee Report: 'I Lost All Hope That This Would Come Out'

The Justice Hema Committee Report has sparked significant debate within the entertainment industry, and actress Parvathy Thiruvothu recently shared her thoughts on the matter.

Parvathy Thiruvothu recently shared her thoughts on the Justice Hema Committee Report.

Source : Instagram/@par_vathy

The Justice Hema Committee Report has sparked significant debate within the entertainment industry, and actress Parvathy Thiruvothu recently shared her thoughts on the matter in an interview with NDTV. Parvathy, known for her strong stance on industry issues, expressed her dissatisfaction with the report's findings and the manner in which it has been handled. 

Parvathy on the release of Justice Hema Committee Report

Discussing her feelings about the report, Parvathy said, "The sense of achievement is extremely bitter-sweet for us, mainly because the first deposition happened sometime in 2018 and the report was submitted sometime in 2019. It took so many years for it to come out. The redacted version of it. In these years, we have had to really beg and grovel and fight. Allies were from the public and from media, who had to join this fight and say ‘Wait, why are you keeping it from us? Why is it not coming out?'” 

Parvathy criticises sensationalism

Parvathy also touched on how the report has been sensationalised in some circles. She stated that the Justice Hema Commission was established to examine and address malpractices within the film industry, with the goal of improving workplace culture and practices in accordance with the law. "There was also a certain sensationalising on it. Whereas, [Justice] Hema Commission report is a study of malpractices in the film industry, which will help us (about) why was it formed and why was the report generated so that work towards forming better workplace culture, workplace practices that is government defined so that nobody would go against the law," she explained. 

Parvathy noted that the true purpose of the report is often overshadowed by sensationalist elements. She urged the public and media to refocus on the core issues at hand, stating, "It is currently still a struggle for us to throw the focus back on to the picture and say, ‘No no no, let us put our mind and hearts to what the matter is at hand’.” 

Parvathy Thiruvothu, while feeling a sense of vindication with the Justice Hema Committee Report finally being made public, shared that the journey to this point was far from easy. She described the process as deeply challenging, saying, "Since all the depositions were hand-written, and read back to us, it was traumatic and horrendous. But we turned up 6-7 hours a day, multiple days a week. We did it in the belief that it will benefit us, and the women who come after us." 

"I lost all hope this would come out"

However, when they were informed that the report might never see the light of day, it felt like a profound betrayal. "It sucked the soul out of us. In fact, I lost all hope that this would come out. This denial was the only way to protect myself," Parvathy revealed, expressing the emotional toll the situation took on her. When the report was finally released, instead of feeling happiness, Parvathy experienced an emotional breakdown. She explained, "It wasn’t happiness. But now, it being in an official document definitely brings more seriousness to it and we feel quite vindicated, frankly. But, I would say that this is just the beginning." 

Parvathy calls Malayalam film industry fundamentally good

Parvathy also clarified that the report should not be seen as an "expose" of the Malayalam film industry. She reassured that the industry is fundamentally good, but added, "the places where you don't hear anything about, that's where we should be worried about." 

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.