North News
Chandigarh, August 28
Actor Swara Bhasker has expressed her deep dismay over the findings of the Hema Committee report, terming them “heartbreaking” and alleging that the showbiz industry has long been a “male-centric industry, a patriarchal power set-up.” The committee report has unveiled instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.
“It has been heartbreaking to read the findings of the committee. More heartbreaking because it is familiar. Maybe not every detail and not every nitty-gritty, but the larger picture of what the women have testified to is all too familiar. Showbiz is and always has been a male-centric industry, a patriarchal power set-up,” she wrote in her Instagram post.
Bhasker also expressed her admiration and gratitude towards the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), who have been at the forefront of raising their voices against sexual harassment and violence in the industry. “I finally got around to reading about the findings of the Hema Committee Report. Before anything else, a big, big hug and gratitude to the brave women of the WCC who have consistently raised their voices against sexual harassment and violence, who demanded that an expert committee examine the working conditions of women in their industry and suggest solutions, who testified before the Hema Committee, who’ve held the hands of and provided solace to each other and to all women who have suffered sexual harassment and violence in the industry. You are heroes, and you are doing the work that people in positions of greater power ought to have done already. Respect and solidarity with you!” Bhasker further added.
