The recent findings from the Hema Committee report have brought renewed attention to the pervasive issue of sexual harassment in the Indian film industry. The report, which details the harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, has sparked widespread calls for a broader investigation into toxic practices across all Indian film sectors. The troubling reality revealed by the report is that women who spoke out against harassment often faced severe consequences, including the loss of job opportunities.
In light of these revelations, former Bollywood actress and the former girlfriend of Salman Khan, Somy Ali recently shared her experiences in an interview, discussing the pervasive challenges women faced in the entertainment industry during the 1990s. While her circumstances differed from those highlighted in the Hema Committee report, Ali recounted her time in Bollywood, where she encountered a similarly hostile environment. This experience led her to transition from acting to founding No More Tears, an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic abuse.
She said, “The findings of the Hema Committee report are both disheartening and, unfortunately, all too familiar to women in the entertainment industry, not just in Kerala but across the world. While my experience in Bollywood during the late 1990s was not exactly identical to the circumstances faced by the women in the Malayalam film industry, it was deeply shaped by a toxic environment that often silenced women or punished them for speaking out.”
Somy Ali recalled what she faced during her journey, “I personally encountered #MeToo incidents where I was warned that visiting a certain man’s suite was necessary if I wanted to advance in my career. I’ve also witnessed the heartbreaking ‘walk of shame’—women, disheveled and distressed, leaving hotel suites early in the morning after being exploited by some of the biggest actors in Bollywood, including individuals publicly seen as committed family men.”
This is really pathetic, isn’t it?
