Radhika Sarathkumar: Hidden cameras placed in Malayalam actresses' vanity vans

The Malayalam film industry has been rocked by several allegations of sexual harassment against women actors and now south Indian actress Radhika Sarathkumar has made a startling claim that objectionable videos of female actors were recorded with hidden cameras inside caravans on the shooting sets of Malayalam films.

On Saturday (August 31), she said she had personally witnessed male actors watching such videos on their mobile phones.

The senior actress' allegation to Asianet News Malayalam channel in the wake of the release of the Justice K Hema Committee report triggered sharp reactions from various quarters in the state including from RMP leader and MLA K K Rema.

Ill-treatment of women in other film industries

Radhika wondered why the Hema Committee report was delayed and pointed out that not just the Malayalam industry but alleged harassment and ill-treatment of women persists in other industries as well.

Sharing her personal experience in this regard, Radhika Sarathkumar said at the shooting set of a Malayalam film, she had seen men watching clips of actresses captured using hidden cameras in their caravans.

"While I was on a set in Kerala, I saw people gathered together and laughing at something. As I passed by, I noticed they were watching a video. I called a crew member and asked him what they were watching. I was told there were cameras in the vanity vans and footage of women changing clothes was captured using the same. I was told you should just type the name of the artiste, and you will find a video of them changing dresses. I saw the video," the senior actress told the channel.

However, she was reluctant to divulge other details, including names of the film or the actors seen watching the illicit videos.

She also recalled having reacted strongly to this and warning the person in charge of the caravans of severe action if hidden cameras were found inside vehicles again.

"I grew very angry. I insisted that I needed to be safe and so I said I did not want caravan and went back to my hotel room," the actress added.

Male actors' silence questioned

The actress slammed the silence of male actors across industries over the findings of Hema Committee.

"Now the onus is on the women. They (women actors) have to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding themselves," the 62-year-old actress said.

Expressing shock over the statement of Radhika Sarathkumar, RMP leader K K Rema said the cruelties allegedly happening in the film industry were beyond anyone's imagination.

"What kind of cruelty is this... cinema world is fast becoming the biggest underworld... that is what we understand from all these allegations," she told the media.

Rema said generally women in the film industry believe that a caravan is safer and if they also get such facilities like men, they can be safer in the shooting locations.

But, the latest charge has proved it to be wrong, the leader added.

Well-known dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi, however, questioned Radhika Sarathkumar's silence over the issue these years despite being aware of the crime.

Kerala government's probe

Speaking to the media, noted screenwriter Deedi Damodaran wondered how many such revelations the authorities needed to take stringent actions.

The publication of the Justice K Hema Committee report on harassment and abuse in the Malayalam film industry has opened a can of worms with several female actors coming forward with disturbing accounts of the mistreatment they faced at the hands of their various male counterparts.

Amid these allegations, the government announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe the allegations made in the wake of the Justice Hema Committee report being published.

Following that, more complaints surfaced against many actors and directors.

(With agency inputs)