Samantha Prabhu joins call for sexual harassment report for Telugu Film Industry, lauds Hema Committee report

Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu joined a few other Telugu actors and filmmakers in urging the Telangana government to publish a report, similar to the Hema Committee Report, on sexual harassment in the Telugu Film Industry (TFI).

Samantha took to Instagram stories to share a statement, titled 'Voice of Women in TFI' – that several other women in the Telugu Film Industry had posted.

The statement read, "We, the women of the Telugu film industry, welcome the Hema Committee report and applaud the persistent efforts of the WCC [Women in Cinema Collective] in Kerala, which has laid the path to this moment."

"Taking cue from the WCC, The Voice of Women, a support group for women in the TFI, was created in 2019," Samantha's Instagram post read.

Demanding the Telangana government to publish a similar report on sexual harassment, the statement said, “We hereby urge the Telangana government, to publish the submitted sub-committee report on sexual harassment, which can help frame government and industry policies, to establish a safe working environment for women in the TFI.”

Other than Samantha, Telugu actors Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna, Suma Kanakala, Pragathi Mahavadi, and film director and screenwriter Nandini Reddy also shared the same statement on their Instagram earlier.

The Hema Committee Report

The 235-page report by Justice Hema Committee detailed explosive allegations of sexual abuse by male actors in the Malayalam cinema industry. It notes that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by 10-15 male producers, directors, and actors.

Ever since the report was released, several women actors came forward with complaints against their male counterparts, leading to the registration of FIRs against actor-politician Mukesh, Sidhique, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu, and director Ranjith.

The committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case, and its report revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.