Hema Committee report: Actor and BJP minister Suresh Gopi accuses media of misleading public perception

Suresh Gopi

Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Tuesday lashed out at the media, accusing it of misleading the public's perception about the film industry regarding the recent allegations of sexual harassment against actors and directors.

The actor-politician termed the allegations as "food" for the media and said they were welcome to make money out of it. The Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism, however, said they should not try to destroy such a huge industry like cinema. He was responding to reporters' queries over the recent allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against various directors and actors, including CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh.

"This is all food for you, is what I understand. You can use it to make money. (There is) no problem with that. But these issues are before the court, and it has the intelligence and logic to arrive at a decision regarding them."

"You (media) are not only making people fight each other for your own gains, you are also misleading public perception. The complaints are in the form of allegations at the moment. What are you telling people? Are you the court? You are not. The court will decide. Let the court decide," Gopi said.

His response came a day after the Yuva Morcha organised a march towards the residence of Mukesh in Kollam.

17 members of AMMA including Mohanlal resign:

A week after the Hema Committee report was made public, superstar Mohanlal resigned as the president of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists). Not just him but all officer bearers have tendered their resignation. The Hema Committee report submitted to the government in 2019 reveals shocking details of women's working conditions in the Malayalam film industry. After the report came out, several women artists came out and started narrating harrowing experiences in the patriarchal industry. The resignations come amidst a barrage of sexual harassment and assault allegations against many people in the Malayalam film industry, including three members of the AMMA executive committee - ex-general secretary Siddique, vice-president Jeyan R, and joint secretary Baburaj.

What is the Hema Committee and why was it formed?

The committee was established in 2018 to investigate sexual harassment allegations within the Malayalam film industry, following the sexual assault case of a prominent actress in October 2017. The idea behind setting up the committee was to examine multiple sexual harassment complaints and to recommend actions against such wrongdoings. The committee, chaired by retired Justice K. Hema, included a diverse panel of industry professionals.