Don't Destroy Malayalam Cinema; Offenders Will Be Punished: Mohanlal on Hema Report

Amid the controversy following the release of the Hema Committee report, actor Mohanlal stated on Saturday that those involved in sexual misconduct should be held accountable and punished.

The Justice K Hema Committee report detailed explosive allegations of sexual abuse by male actors in the Malayalam cinema industry as several female actors came forward with complaints against their male counterparts, leading to the registration of FIRs against actor-politician Mukesh, Siddique, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu, and director Ranjith.

Speaking about the ongoing issue, Mohanlal said the focus should not be entirely on AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) as an investigation is ongoing. He urged not to destroy the industry, highlighting the importance of the Hema Committee report, which he felt was rightly released by the government.

Mohanlal pointed out that AMMA cannot address all the questions and that these inquiries should be directed to everyone involved. He stressed that the industry is hardworking and consists of many people, but not everyone should be blamed for the misconduct. He assured that those responsible would be punished as the investigation continues.

On sexual abuse allegations in the Malayalam film industry, Mohanlal "...Problems faced by junior artists are also being looked into...We will cooperate in the investigation process. We are here only to set things right. I am not aware of any such power group. I am not a part of it. I have not read the Hema Committee report."

The Kerala government formed the panel following the 2017 actress assault case involving actor Dileep, aiming to address issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry.

The POSH Act, enacted in 2013, stands for the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act.

Recently, Mollywood superstar Mohanlal resigned on Tuesday as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). In a significant development, all 17 executive committee members have also stepped down, leading to the dissolution of the committee.

The executive members who resigned include Jagadish, Jayan Cherthala, Baburaj, Unni Mukundan, Kalabhavan Shajon, Suraj Venjarammoodu, Joy Mathew, Suresh Krishna, Tini Tom, Ananya, Vinu Mohan, Tovino Thomas, Sarayu Mohan, Ansiba Hassan, and Jomol.