Amid mounting furore over the findings of the Hema Committee report, actor Shanthi Priya has questioned the effectiveness of actor Mohanlal’s resignation as Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) president. “There was no point. Mohanlal shouldn’t have resigned — he could have actually supported the victims, been there and said, ‘Yes, we are there, please raise your voice and come to speak to us,’ this should have been the approach,” reasons the 54-year-old, who has worked in over 50 films across South cinema.

Mohanlal’s resignation, tendered on Tuesday, August 27, followed the disbanding of AMMA’s executive committee, elected only in June. The decision came after serious allegations of sexual assault and misbehaviour were raised against some of the committee’s members, including office-bearers.

The actor goes on to add that sexual harassment is pervasive, and that instead of singling out industries, instilling the fear of punishment is needed. “Even men are harassed, and across industries. I am a pan-India actor and these things happen in all the industries... Two years later, someone from the Telugu industry can come up and say something,” she says, adding, “Everybody has raised their voice but the question that now arises is — how strong will the action that’s taken be, and how long will it take to get to the point where our future generations don’t need to worry. There should be fear among potential perpetrators. At the moment, it is missing.”

Actor Samantha is the latest major star to openly express support for the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), which played a crucial role in the formation of the Hema Committee. “For years, I’ve followed the incredible work of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) in Kerala. Their journey has been anything but easy. Now, as the serious implications of the Hema Committee report come to light, we owe a debt of gratitude to WCC,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories on Wednesday.

Actor Parvathy, a founding member of the WCC, who quit AMMA in 2020, came down heavily on the body’s executive committee’s decision to step down. “The first reaction I had when I heard the news about this collective resignation was, ‘how cowardly.’ How cowardly of them to step away from a position where they are accountable to speak to the media. That’s an immediate cop-out. With this, the onus has again fallen on women to take the conversations and debates forward. When are the men going to call themselves and each other out in front of the community clearly they are a part of?” she told Mojo Story.