Hema panel fallout | Samantha joins call for report on sexual harassment in Tollywood
She urged the Telangana govt to publish a similar report on sexual harassment in Telugu film industry, which she said would help frame policies and also ensure a safe working environment for women
Lauding the the Hema Committee report, noted actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu on Saturday (August 31) urged the Telangana government to publish a similar report on sexual harassment in Telugu film industry, which she said would help frame policies and also ensure a safe working environment for women.
“We, the women of the Telugu film industry, welcome the Hema Committee report and applaud the persistent efforts of the WCC (Women in Cinema Collective) in Kerala, which has laid the path to this moment,” Samantha said in a story on Instagram.
Safe working environment
“Taking cue from the WCC, The Voice of Women, a support group for women in the TFI, was created in 2019.”
“We hereby urge the Telangana government, to publish the submitted sub-committee report on sexual harassment, which can help frame government and industry policies, to establish a safe working environment for women in the TFI (Telugu Film Industry),” she added.
Samantha said that Tollywood would benefit greatly if the Telangana government set up a Kerala-style committee.
Telugu actors Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna, Suma Kanakala, Pragathi Mahavadi, and film director and screenwriter Nandini Reddy also shared the same statement on their Instagram earlier.
Hema Committee report
The 235-page report by Justice Hema Committee, published after redacting names of witnesses and the accused, notes that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by 10-15 male producers, directors, and actors.
The report detailed allegations of sexual abuse by male actors, directors and crew members in the Malayalam film industry. Several female actors have since come forward with complaints leading to registration of FIRs against actor-politician Mukesh, Siddique, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu and director Ranjith.
The three-member Justice Hema Committee was set up by the state government in 2017 and submitted its report in 2019. The report was not made public so far due to legal challenges to its release.
Samantha was last seen in the film 'Kushi', co-starring Vijay Deverakonda. She will also star in a project titled 'Bangaram'. Samantha announced the project on her birthday this year. She will also star in Raj and DK's ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’, co-starring Varun Dhawan, Kay Kay Menon and Sikandar Kher. The series is slated to release in November this year.