Shabana Azmi reacts to Hema Committee Report, says women face contradiction of progression and suppression

Mumbai, Sep 28
Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, who has clocked 50 years in cinema, has shared her opinion on treatment of women following the Justice Hema Committee Report.

The actress interacted with the media at the ongoing edition of the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy Awards), and spoke about the suppression of women across centuries and their current situation in a supposedly progressive society.

The Justice Hema Committee was formed by the Government of Kerala after Women in Cinema Collective filed a petition in response to the 2017 actress assault case. The Committee documented the challenges faced by women working in Malayalam cinema. The Committee was headed by retired Kerala High Court Judge Justice K. Hema, and also included veteran actress Sarada and retired Indian Administrative Service officer K.B. Valsala Kumari as its members.

Talking about the Justice Hema Committee Report, which brings to light after the harassment faced by female artistes in Malayalam cinema, Shabana told media stationed at the venue in Abu Dhabi, “You must understand that women in India have had their own journey across centuries. From 16th to 21st, they've progressed, but are also suppressed. Women have been this contradiction in India - of progression and suppression, just like India itself”.

The Justice Hema Committee report has unleashed a storm in the Malayalam film industry, and has sent ripples across different film industries of India raising demands for similar action to probe the harassment and exploitation faced by female artistes from the men in power.

After the Justice Hema Committee report several women have come forward and have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against well-known figures in Malayalam cinema.

In Bollywood, several celebrities, including Ananya Panday, Swara Bhasker, Guneet Monga, Ekta Kapoor, Tanushree Dutta, Lakshmi Manchu, Prithviraj Sukumara, Tovino Thomas, and Parvathy Thiruvothu, have responded to the report with Shabana being the most recent member of the Hindi film fraternity to respond to the report.