Much has changed between August 19 and August 25. The former is the date when the contents of the Hema committee report were made public. This came right in the thick of the country still being caught in the waves of protests against the brutal rape and murder of a female Kolkata doctor.
The report was originally submitted to the Kerala government 5 years back and highlighted the plethora of issues plaguing the Malayalam film industry, particularly its women. Though specific in nature, the unfortunate reality of the situation is that the takeaways are something most women can relate to. On Friday, August 23, Malayalam actor Siddique, "welcomed" the report and its findings, urging the government to take speedy action on the recommendations.
Today, August 25, he resigned as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). The same day when Siddique was affirming himself as an ally to those whose realities were reflected in the report, Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused celebrated Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith of misbehaviour during her audition for a 2009 film. Today, Ranjith too has put in his resignation from the post of chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy.
Siddique and Ranjith's resignations, given their respective mammoth legacies, feel like watershed moments, both having taken place in the same morning signaling the changing tides, however glacial they may be. The Hema committee report: Major findings Systemic abuse, literal or in essence.