Female actors must work long hours with too low wages and without access to toilets, while they are subjected to countless sexual harassments. This is shown by a 290-page long report on the film industry in the state of Kerala in southern India, according to BBC.
The report – made under the leadership of a former judge in Kerala's highest court – reveals terrible working conditions during filming. It also establishes that the film industry in Kerala is dominated by "a mafia of powerful men" and that the sexual harassments against women are countless.
The report was ready as early as 2019 but has only now become public – after five years of delay and legal challenges from the film industry. It was commissioned after a well-known Indian female actor was subjected to sexual assault in 2017.
The publication of the report is now described as a victory for the actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, a member of Women in Cinema Collective (WCC).
It has opened a door for major changes within the industry, she says.
