Sayani Gupta Reacts To Justice Hema Committee Report: 'Our Safety Is Really Debatable...'

Abu Dhabi: Amid the ongoing row following the Justice Hema Committee report, actor Sayani Gupta shared her concerns about safety and what can be done to make the film industry a safe place.

Speaking with ANI on the IIFA 2024 green carpet on Saturday, Sayani opened out how safety is really debatable right now and constantly compromised.

She said, "The rules should be strict. For people who don't abide by those rules, strict actions should be taken against them. And, if you can't make your workplace safe, then what are you even doing in society."

Sayani added, "In 2024, all of us are here for work, but our safety is, I mean, really debatable right now and constantly compromised. So it's, it has to stop. It should have stopped years ago, but we should do everything in our power, not just as women, but men and every single person in society to make sure that workspace is safe."

On how we can make the workplace safer, she continued, "There are many guidelines of POSH, which should be, sort of, in a more regulated way. There has to be accountability, like I was just saying, and people who should hold other people accountable."

Last month, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report on the harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry was made public. It contained distressing accounts of harassment, exploitation, and mistreatment of women professionals.

The 235-page report, published with the names of witnesses and accused redacted, notes that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by about 10 to 15 male producers, directors, and actors who dominate and exert control over the industry.

The report, prepared by a three-member panel led by a former judge of the Kerala High Court and set up by the state government in 2017, was submitted to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government in December 2019 and was made public only this month.
The government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the challenges faced by women in the industry.