It is through trials that hidden truths come out, that too unpleasant truths. That's why no one is usually ready to say it out loud. It has been almost five years since the report of the Justice Hema Committee, which was appointed to study the problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, was submitted to the government. It finally took the intervention of the Right to Information Commission for this report to see the light of day. Still, 60 pages of the 296-page report have not been released. What has now come out is what those working in the film industry have known for years. Perhaps, there are people in the field who know more than what is mentioned in the report. The reason they don't say it is because they fear it will affect their existence.

However, the Hema Committee report is important because it has made the common people realize that such bad things are happening in the film industry. When people learn the truth, legal and non-legal ways to redress injustices will emerge. This is what should come from the authorized positions and film organization officials etc. Not only in Malayalam cinema, but even in Hollywood where women have great freedom of expression and rights, the casting couch and the like have come out through 'Me Too' and so on.

'There is a general perception that women come into films to make money and so they will adjust for anything. Men in cinema can't even imagine that a woman will enter the field because of her passion for art and acting." These statements mentioned in the report are shameful for the entire society. The report points out that not only producers and leading actors, but even production controllers are among those who exploit women. The reality is that glamour and financial returns often drive down the worth of values. The committee has pointed out many other discriminations faced by women apart from sexual harassment. Those leading the film organizations should proactively resolve issues such as lack of space to change clothes, accommodation in unsafe locations, and low wages.

Similarly, the government should take immediate action to implement the commission's recommendations. The state government appointed the Hema Committee as requested by the Women in Cinema Collective in 2017, following the incident in which the actress was assaulted. The report submitted in 2019 was covered up by the government for so long. The question remains as to whom they were trying to protect by doing this. Only the government knows what is on the unreleased pages. It is said that these portions of the report are being withheld to protect the privacy of people. The content of the allegations in the report should be released without names. Remedial measures will emerge only when the information in the report is released. Fandom cyber attacks must be prevented at all costs. Police should take strong legal action in this regard. The method of banning people by film organizations is also outdated and dictatorial in nature, so introspection is needed in that regard as well.