Konkona Sen Sharma is never one to shy away from speaking her mind. The actor-filmmaker reveals that there are still many “highly respected” individuals in the film industry who have yet to be publicly identified as sexual predators.

“There are countless instances of sexual harassment that haven’t even come to light. Many people who are working today are hugely problematic,” she states while talking to Sucharita Tyagi, highlighting the pervasive issues of gender dynamics in the industry.

Her comments come in the wake of the Hema Committee Report, which exposed sexual harassment within the Malayalam film industry, leading to a wave of revelations. As investigations unfold, voices from various sectors are beginning to speak out against this deeply entrenched issue.

Sen Sharma also shed light on the gender bias present on film sets. “The film industry is hugely hierarchical, reflecting not only gender disparities but also biases related to caste and class,” she explains, adding, “It’s a problematic and patriarchal environment. Even the dynamics around catering — who can sit where, who eats what, and where the bathrooms are — speak volumes about the ingrained inequalities.”

Mallika Sherawat has also been vocal about the pervasive sexual harassment in the film industry. In an interview, she recounts a shocking experience while filming a song for a movie down South. “The director approached me, ‘Madam, we want to show how hot you are.’ I initially thought it was a typical dance sequence, but then he added, ‘In this scene, the hero will cook rotis on your stomach.’ Can you imagine? This was their idea of portraying a woman as ‘hot.’ Naturally, I declined,” she tells Hauterrfly. The actor also shares another incident involving a co-star who “wanted to come inside” her bedroom during a comedy film shoot: “I firmly told him no, and after that, he never worked with me again.”