Lakshmi Manchu speaks out after Hema Committee report findings

The Justice Hema Committee report has highlighted severe discrimination and sexual exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. In response, actor Lakshmi Manchu, who made her Malayalam debut in 2022 with the film Monster, has commented on the harsh realities women endure in this field, saying “what has been okay for all these years is not okay anymore”. She further says that she “encourages, pleads and begs of women to scream, to say no, to come out and say this is wrong” for change to be brought about.
Reacting strongly to the report and it’s findings, Manchu tells us, “No matter what industry it is, we [women] are constantly being silenced. If you speak up, you get fired, you get demoted. You’re constantly trying to balance your way through it,” adding, “The men are not aware where to draw the line. It is time for us to re-educate these people [the men], and not just an industry. I’m not saying it is not there. I’m not saying it’s there, but it’s there everywhere. And it’s our prerogative to say this is happening here for changes to be brought about.”
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Manchu acknowledges the complexity of addressing these issues. “It is every woman’s prerogative to say no. Now it takes two hands to clap, right? Some take it, some don’t,” she points out. She recounts how women in the industry have faced inappropriate advances and how they’ve navigated these situations. “I know girls in this industry who have been approached for favours. We’ve talked about it when we’ve gotten together and spoken about how dirty it was, but how they’ve managed to get out of it. So, do you want to give in or do you want to stand up? It’s a double-edged sword, and you have to, unfortunately, lay the groundwork as I say, to how do we manage?”
Reflecting on the historical context of women’s struggles for power and the fear that has silenced them, the 46-year-old says, “We’ve been burnt, calling ourselves witches from when women have been in any kind of power; men just burned us saying if she had a voice, she’s a witch. They put fear among us and killed us, burned us alive.”
She adds: “We are slowly, in a snail’s pace, finding the strength, but we are finding it like a Godzilla, and I think it takes that one moment to stand up and say, ‘What is this?’ And then for us to come together and support that. But if you don’t talk about it and keep quiet, we don’t know what is going on out there. So I encourage, plead and I beg women to scream, to say no, to come out and say this is wrong. If you’re going to keep quiet and say, ‘Chalo, is baar main, I will let it go for my benefit,’ then you’re silencing thousands of women through this lack of women.”
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The actor highlights the broader societal issues contributing to these problems. She points out the lack of support for women who speak out, saying, “Coming from a severe patriarchal society there is constant fear with everything that is happening in the world right now – with the rape, with murder. The police are saying, the hospitals are giving out statements saying how a woman should be rather than condemning what had happened. So what are we fighting? We are fighting basic rights and equality of human rights, of being safe in our workspace. And for us again, not all women have the luxury to voice it because, again, it’s bread and butter. They need to put food on their table. It is not so easy for a woman to say no, don’t do this. They’ll [the men] say get lost. Bring another one who will listen to us.”
Manchu shares a specific incident involving a well-known actor who demanded a change in casting. “I have heard a journalist come to me and say a very big actor who was shooting outdoors, who was shooting in Canada, they had already cast a woman and he came and said, ‘No, that woman won’t give, cast somebody else.’ So where do we draw a line?”
Also Read: Women face harassment in Malayalam film industry, says Justice Hema Committee report
Ask her about the lack of a redress system and what resources or support systems she thinks should be put in place, Manchu says that more than anything else, it is essential to educate men about how to treat women. “Let’s concentrate on the men for a minute. They are the perpetrators. It makes my blood boil. I’m a mother of a girl child. Now what? I have to give her pepper spray and send her out or do I have to say go out baby, the world is a safe place for you because the men will take care of you?” she questions. She also emphasises the need for a comprehensive awareness program for men to understand issues of consent and appropriate behaviour.
Manchu also addresses the existence of cliques and the mafia system within the industry as highlighted in the Hema Committee report. Although she is less familiar with the Malayalam film industry, she notes similar issues in Telugu and Tamil cinema. “There are many cliques, there are many groups. This group won’t talk to that group. You create pockets of people because the men are very insecure. They need to be in these cliques to make them feel like they are superpowers,” says Manchu adding that despite the challenges, she is hopeful that these revelations will lead to change.
She points to the impact of the #MeToo movement in the Telugu industry, where significant changes were implemented. “When the Me Too movement happened, I and members in the Telugu industry, we brought about a lot of change,” she says, adding there is need for continued vigilance and systemic reform.