In a joint appeal, 72 prominent personalities, including author Arundhati Roy, have urged Kerala Chief Minister to enact a law addressing concerns raised by the Justice K Hema Committee report on sexual atrocities against women in the film field.The signatories to the appeal include Supreme Court advocates Indira Jaisingh and Vrinda Grover, actors Aparna Sen, Prakash Raj, Swara Bhasker, musician T M Krishna, a few retired bureaucrats and several journalists who have sought a “360-degree approach” from the state government to achieve the objectives for which the committee was set up.
In their letter to the CM, the concerns they have highlighted include the “inordinate focus on the sexual misdemeanours and crimes mentioned in the report” and the “virtual exclusion” of issues like the working conditions in the film industry, lack of contracts, pay disparities, etc. which also find mention the panel’s findings.