Tamil actress Kushbu Sundar, amid widespread reactions to the Hema Committee Report’s release, has shown her support for the #MeToo movement within Malayalam cinema. She took to her social media to share a detailed statement regarding the issue, encouraging victims to openly discuss their experiences. In her statement, Kushbu reflected on the emotional toll of the #MeToo movement and commended the initiation of the Hema Committee Report as a crucial measure to tackle abuse. She highlighted the disproportionate impact on women, saying, “Why is a woman alone expected to go through the grind? Although men face it too, it’s primarily women who bear the brunt.”
Discussing the topic with her daughters, Kushbu was moved by their empathy and support for the victims. She discussed the obstacles women face when coming forward, including fear of shame, victim-blaming, or scrutiny of their actions. She emphasised the importance of speaking out, stating, “It doesn’t matter whether you speak today or tomorrow, just speak. Speaking up immediately would help in healing and investigating more effectively. The fear of being shamed, victim-blaming, and questions like ‘Why did you do it?’ or ‘What made you do it?’ break her,” she said.
Kushbu also opened up about her personal experiences of abuse by her father when she was around 8 years old, regretting not speaking out sooner. “Some ask me what took me so long to speak about my father’s abuse. I agree I should have spoken earlier. But what happened to me was not a compromise to build my career. I was abused by the person who was supposed to provide me with the strongest arms to hold me if I fell,” she expressed. She concluded her note by urging men to stand as a ‘beacon of hope’ and show solidarity to those affected.
The Hema Committee Report, released by the Government of Kerala on August 19, 2024, has prompted many women in the Malayalam film industry to reveal their abuse experiences by notable industry figures such as Siddique, Jayasurya, Mukesh, Baburaj, Renjith, and Idavela Babu. The scandal led to the dissolution of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), with President Mohanlal and 17 other committee members stepping down on ‘moral grounds.’
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