Hema Committee-like panel soon in Tamil cinema, says Vishal

A Hema Committee-like panel will be set up in Tamil Nadu in the next ten days, said actor and Nadigar Sangam general secretary Vishal.

While talking to the media on his 47th birthday on Thursday (August 29), he was asked about the recent disclosures made by the Hema Committee report in Kerala, and whether a similar committee can be constituted in Tamil Nadu.

“The Nadigar Sangam will form a committee in the next ten days,” Vishal said, adding that preparations are underway. “An announcement will be made soon. It is our duty to do so,” he promised.

He reiterated that Nadigar Sangam, a union of actors in Tamil Nadu, is not just for the men in the industry. “It is also for women to know that there is someone there for them,” he added.

In his view, there are “definitely insane men who have no respect for women and make such demands” but he also cautioned women to be more careful.

He said they need to verify if the company is legitimate and if they’re truly making a movie as they claim. They should check all of this before signing on, said the actor-producer, who also advised women to be fearless and “clobber such men with slippers.”

Vishal also said that there are ‘fraudsters’ in the Tamil industry who exploit women on the pretext of opportunities. These fraudsters promise female artistes roles in movies, call them for photoshoots and auditions, and then disappear. Women should be wary of them, he said.

He said that if women in the industry feel disrespected, made uncomfortable, or exploited by men, they should be slapped with their slippers. Women must be brave in all circumstances.