Vidhu Vincent reacts to Parvathy Thiruvothu’s criticism against government 'inaction' in Hema Committee report

Filmmaker Vidhu Vincent has responded to Parvathy Thiruvothu after the latter called out the state government for delay in implementing the guidelines proposed by the Hema Committee report. In a long note posted on her social media handle, Vidhu wrote that sensible women like Parvathy should not pass judgments without understanding the truth.

Parvathy took to her Instagram to tag Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and wrote, “Now can we focus on the ACTUAL reason this committee was formed? Putting policies in place to help make regulations in the industry? What is happening with that? No rush? It's only been five and a half years since the report was submitted.” Meanwhile, Vidhu pointed out that even those who had given statements before the Hema Commission were unwilling to proceed with the case.

Vidhu’s social media post titled ‘Hema Committee Report and Government Action: Facts’ read, “Although many women including Parvathy had given their statements to Hema Committee about certain issues that they had faced on the movie sets, the fact is that most of them were unwilling to go ahead with police cases. The special investigation team and the crime branch that investigate these statements have publicly stated that the complainants do not stand firm on their statements and are reluctant to file cases. It is quite logical to understand that the legal proceedings cannot be efficiently conducted without the cooperation of the survivors/ victims.

What came out of the Hema Committee report prove that the committee was not an instrument for filing cases. Instead, it provided the guidelines that initiated significant changes in the Malayalam cinema industry. It was the committee’s findings that paved the foundation for forming the cinema policy under the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) and the Chalachitra Academy. The report has also ignited extensive discussions and debates on this matter.

"Various issues related to the cinema industry are being discussed on multiple levels. Besides the cultural department, industry, labour, tourism, information technology, health, social justice, local self-government, home, and finance departments have also joined hands to formulate the cinema policy. Those who are criticising this would recall that the Hema Committee report has also mentioned the absence of such a policy.

Besides, it is worth mentioning that lots of women have started working in various fields of cinema industry as a result of the activities aimed to bring them behind the camera. The financial aid provided by the government to encourage women filmmakers, women film festival that showcases movies made by women in our country as well as in foreign countries, special training programs for women to welcome them into the technical sides of filmmaking, priority for women’s movies at the IFFK are some of the proactive steps taken by the government here. I wonder whether any other state government makes such effective contributions in this field.

This government doesn’t merely appeal the women to confidently enter the film industry. The Chalachitra Academy and the KSFDC try to make women capable of working in this industry by providing them space and opportunity. Although there may be slight setbacks, they have tried to learn from those mistakes and move forward. Criticisms are good, but do not pass judgments without understanding the facts just because you are big stars. Your criticisms will gain strength only if they are done after realising the facts. The people of Kerala expect at least this from all sensible women, including Parvathy," she ended the note.