Reacting to the Justice Hema Committee report, actor Lakshmi Manchu says “what has been okay for all these years is not okay anymore” and that she “encourages, pleads and begs women to scream, say no, come out and say this is wrong” for change to be brought about.

Talking about how women in the industry have always faced inappropriate advances and exploitation, Manchu, who made her Malayalam debut in 2022 with the film Monster, says, “I know girls 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.”

Manchu recognises the hazard that speaking out entails — from loss of “bread and butter” to even threat to life — calling it a “double-edged sword”.

“We’ve been burnt, called witches, put fear in and silenced,” says the actor, adding, however, that now women must seize the day and question it. “It takes one moment to stand up and say, ‘What is this?’ And then for us to come together and support that. But if you’re going to keep quiet and say, ‘Chalo, iss baar, I’ll let it go for my benefit,’ you’re contributing to the silencing of thousands of women.”

The 46-year-old goes on to share an incident where a well-known actor demanded a change in casting. “A journalist came to me and said that a very big actor who was shooting in Canada for a film they had already cast a female actor for — came and said, ‘No, that woman won’t give, cast somebody else’. So, where do we draw a line?” the actor recalls.

Although she is less familiar with the Malayalam film industry, she notes similar issues in Telugu and Tamil cinema. “There are cliques — this group won’t talk to that one. Men need to be in these cliques to make them feel like they are superpowers,” says Manchu, adding that despite these challenges, she is hopeful that these revelations will lead to change. She points to the impact of the Me Too movement in the Telugu industry, where significant changes were implemented.

“When the #MeToo movement happened, I remember that a lot of people in the industry, myself included, helped bring about a lot of change,” she concludes, adding that there is a need for continued vigilance and systemic reform.