Malayalam director ‘admits mistakes’ after sexual harassment allegations
Two women from the Malayalam film industry have accused director Sajin Babu of sexually harassing them and then saying ‘sorry’. The women also testified before the Hema Committee and told how the director put the blame on himself for everything. “psychological problems”,
Malayalam director Sajin Babu has been accused of sexual harassment and attempted rape by two women. The women also testified before the Hema Committee during its investigation, which led to the report that rocked the industry. The director later admitted that he had sexually harassed them. “Mistakes” He said he had already apologised to both women, and spoken to the Women’s Cinema Collective (WCC) about both incidents.
In an interview the news minuteBoth the victims shared their painful experiences and said that the director is now trying to cover up the damage to maintain his clean image in the industry. A woman, who accused him of attempted rape, revealed that Sajin “started masturbating” When she yelled at him and stood up to leave.
“I shouted, ‘Excuse me’…”
She said that she was not even a part of the film industry when the incident happened a few years ago. The woman said that she had just graduated from college and was introduced to Sajin through a common friend who needed her help in translating a film script. She further said that she met the director at the Sangeet Natak Academy in Thrissur and started reading scripts for him.
“He then suggested that I could read it in peace in a nearby room and repeatedly said he would not come there. However, he came and attempted to rape me. I started screaming. He knew there were people around, and he started apologizing. But then, when I tried to pick up my things and leave, he started masturbating. I screamed again, and he apologized again, and this was repeated,” She said. The victim said she ran away from there to a nearby railway station and told her friend everything. She said she then told her story to many people, but never filed an official complaint against Sajin and later spoke only to Hema Samiti members.
Another woman shared a similar experience and said she was forced to live with Sajin’s girlfriend in a three-storey building reserved for team members of the film they were working on. “The first night when the girlfriend was not at home, he came into the room on the pretext of taking the bag. Then he closed the door and started asking me questions about working in the film,” He said.
“As soon as I started making noise, he said ‘sorry’…”
The woman said that when the director realized that she was not comfortable with his action, he immediately started apologizing. “He started touching my hands and caressing my body, and I protested and started making noise. Hearing this, he suddenly said sorry and said something about trying to make me feel comfortable on the set, and walked out of the room. After this, he would find some excuse to come into the room, whether his girlfriend was there or not,” He told.
None of these women knew each other before, and it was only during their testimony before the Hema Committee that they met each other and realised they were speaking against the same man. The first woman even said that when the director came to know about their testimony, only then did he approach both of them and apologise for his behaviour.
“After testifying before the Hema committee, he met both of us at a film festival. The apology seemed like a ploy to build his image as a progressive political figure who makes pro-women films. He is intelligently projecting himself as a progressive feminist, and the apology is part of that. I don’t think he treats women who hold some kind of power this way. He treats new people, as Ellie and I were when this happened,” He said.
Sajin blamed it for “Patriarchy”
In his defence, Sajin told the news portal that he is a victim of patriarchy and social conditioning as he is a man who is never held accountable for his behaviour towards women in society. He said that he has become a better person today and has learnt something new in his life. “Medical assistance”,
“We all grow up in a deeply patriarchal society, and have subconsciously internalised its values. As our exposure to the world and its progressive values increases, some of us try to unlearn this conditioning and become better human beings. It took me a lot of time and medical intervention to recover from this incident. It was only around 2018-19 that I was able to move on from it. For my part, I know I am trying to become a better person every day, whether it is through my behaviour or through my cinema,” He said.
Sajin appreciated the hard work of Hema committee in exposing many cases of sexual harassment. He said, “Problematic behavior is considered normal, and the hurt and trauma caused to women is often not even acknowledged. This is why I truly believe that the Hema Committee report is going to be a landmark document that will hopefully bring about a change in the rights and safety of women not only in the Malayalam film industry but across the country. I pray that it is able to bring a solution to the victims.”
The director had earlier written a long post on Facebook, praising the findings of the Hema Committee. It was the same post that provoked the two women to speak against him in the media after they presented their respective cases before the committee members.
“This pretense of pretending to be progressive is what infuriates me. He is talking about Hema committee and women’s issues in Kerala! I can’t stand hypocrisy, double standards,” A woman said.
Earlier today, on August 27, all the members of the Association of Malayalam Cine Artistes (AMMA) resigned from their posts. Some of the members of the association have been accused of sexual harassment. The association was headed by Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, who has been under fire for maintaining silence about the Hema Committee and the allegations.