Due to the exponential and radical socio-political shifts in the global landscape during the 20th & 21st century, the world has witnessed the formation of many global movements. The younger generation of people are taking the fight against climate change to the forefront of global political activism, making it one of the most extensive and widely pervasive movements of all time. Although feminist movements are still raging all over the world, the intersectional nature of them fragments the overarching movements so as to address the problems in a more cultural and situational specific manner. The fragmentation of the principal feminist movements into various regional subsets results in the existence and expiration of these minor movements exclusively in their geographic bubbles. It is in this landscape of environmental and political tides when one of the most significant and recognisable movements (feminist or otherwise) of the 21st century took place.

Started as an internet hashtag by the American social activist Tarana Burke in 2006, it was used to share stories of sexual assault survivors. A decade later, #MeToo evolved into a global movement questioning and challenging the patriarchal power structures about their complacency in enabling sexual violence against women in all avenues. The movement has since made significant waves in the Indian subcontinent; allegations of sexual assault against prominent men in power, to reigniting discourse regarding consent and the dire need for sexual education, the movement has proved to be a significant addition in the broader cultural canon. Its reach has been felt everywhere, from the highest levels of the Indian judicial system to the many regional entertainment industries spread across India.

This essay will focus on the influence and impact of the #MeToo movement in the context of the misogynistic culture perpetuated by and within the Malayalam film industry. Further, analysing recent judicial precedents, the essay will summarise the current trajectory the movement is shaping, so as to address those problems.

Turbulence Before and After #MeToo

The impact of the #MeToo movement on the Malayalam cinema landscape cannot be discussed without first taking a brief account of the events which served as the crux for a radical change within the industry. In early 2017, a prominent female actor filed charges against her former driver and a few other men for kidnapping and sexually assaulting in her car. On further investigation, Dileep, one of the 'superstars' of Malayalam cinema, was accused as a conspirator. Considering the significance of the matter, the actor's trade union, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), expelled Dileep from their fold. However, following the support he received from several senior members of the union, his membership was reinstated shortly.

This series of events caused an internal rift, and a vocal opposition of the union members resigned. From their resignation formed a new organisation under the name of Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), which focuses on neutralising the multitudes of gender inequalities, sexual violence, and weak political representation women face in the industry (Rajan, 2019). Alyssa Milano's tweet heralding #MeToo's resurgence occurred soon after this turmoil Malayalam cinema was facing. However, it was only after Tanushree Dutta's sexual harassment allegations against Nana Patekar in late 2018 that the movement reached the entertainment circle in India.

It triggered a torrent of allegations from women all over the country against men in powerful positions abusing them and the systems placed in to check their powers. Several women accused misconduct against prominent actors such as Siddhique, Vinayakan, Alencier Lopez, and Mukesh. Unsurprisingly, in a status check conducted by a Malayalam blog, it was found that all of the actors mentioned above, including Dileep, were still busy working on multiple projects at the time (Samayam, 2019) – during when the cases against them were going on (some still are). On the other hand, women are forced to face blacklisting and other repercussions in the event of accusing men in power or for extending their support to a survivor to fight the oppressive system.

The Indian justice system protects these vulnerable women little to none. For decades, private complaints were left on deaf ears, and were asked for silence to keep working. Such was the effect of K P A C Lalitha's allegations against veteran actor Adoor Bhasi (Cris, 2018). Moreover, when women coming to the public with accusations are in turn prosecuted by the accused using IPC sections 499 and 500 of the Indian penal code citing defamation.

Violence, Forgiveness, and All is Well

Malayalam filmmaker and a founding member of WCC, Anjali Menon, talking about the intersection of social culture and art, opines, "[W]e have to realise that art cannot exist in isolation, it has to merge with the prevalent social culture. Plus, films have the potential to influence social mores and make people think, so a change in the filmmaker's work culture has far reaching implications right up to the content that reaches the audience" (Jha, 2018). It is also essential to look at how Malayalam cinema treats violence against women on screen to understand the industry's attitude on the topic.

The 2019 mainstream film Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha discuss the widespread issue of marital rape in Kerala. But it takes the odd choice of narrating the story from the perspective of the perpetrator of the rape instead of the survivor. By spending more time with the perpetrator, the filmmakers try to make the audience empathise with him rather than taking a critical look at the severity of his actions. Aji Peter Thankam, the writer of the film, said in an interview, "What happened to Sleevachan cannot be termed 'vulgar'. For me, it was nothing more than an embarrassing situation happening to a very naive young man" (Aji Peter Thankam, n.d.). Though the character signifies some remorse, he does not express it to the survivor. Instead, he tries to casually brush it under the rug calling it a minor incident that they should all get past. The film ultimately ends with the “hero” winning over the affection of the wife he abused and her forgiving him for the trauma inflicted.

The filmmakers' inability to take women's issues more seriously is indicative of how the gatekeepers of powers within the industry view the issues of gendered violence and sexual misconduct. For example, the president of AMMA, responding to questions regarding the case of Dileep in a press conference, reportedly said, "There's no big problem in the Malayalam industry. You shouldn't think of #MeToo as a movement actually; it's a fad and it's turning into something of a fashion. Anything like that will have a lifespan for a bit" (Mohandas, 2018). Interestingly enough, Mohandas in her article draws a line from this statement to that of UN general secretary António Guterres's concise observation, "[A]t its core, violence against women and girls in all its forms is the manifestation of a profound lack of respect – a failure by men to recognise the inherent equality and dignity of women" (Guterres, 2018).

New Precedents and Resolutions

Under the advent of #MeToo, journalist Priya Ramani was prosecuted on the basis of defaming the former Union Minister M J Akbar, for publicly discussing her sexual harassment at his hands in the 90s. After two years of fighting the case in court, in Feb 2021, a Delhi court acquitted her of the defamation charges. The court said in the judgement, "[T]he woman cannot be punished for raising voice against the sex-abuse on the pretext of criminal complaint of defamation as the right of reputation cannot be protected at the cost of the right of life and dignity of woman as guaranteed in Indian Constitution under article 21 and right of equality before law and equal protection of law as guaranteed under article 14 of the Constitution" (Malaviya, 2021). The judgement, therefore, paves the way for future survivors to question the Constitutional validity of defamation suits, as those sections protecting against defamations are prominently used to suppress women's voices against prominent ‘light bearers’ of patriarchal oppression.

Women's issues stem from their reduced power in the socio-political superstructures. Since power can lead to representation, or vice versa, using movements such as #MeToo to leverage more power and representation within these structures and outside of it is of paramount importance – due to the inverse proportional relationship between discrimination and participation. "Combating violence requires attention to beliefs and norms and above all to power asymmetries that render women vulnerable to abuse. Women need a firm structural foundation–resources, land, jobs, social support–to contest, and to exit from, violence and harassment in their daily lives" (Htun & Jensenius, 2020). Further, replacing antiquated patriarchal structures with ones that share their power equitably and democratically would drastically improve women's situation.

There are a few ways in which it is possible to increase women's participation in the film industry almost immediately. Training women in technical positions, which are almost always paid more than the positions traditionally women are side-lined to. Institute scholarships for young girls to pursue higher education in filmmaking and film studies. Subsidising taxes for productions with women employment of more than 30%, and putting reservations in place for qualified women in state-run departments like Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) could lead to significant positive impact (Anandan, 2018). Enforcing Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, in every production, trade unions, and organisations to address sexual violence and harassment is urgently needed.

Conclusion

No other movements in recent history could make such a substantial impact on the larger cultural zeitgeist as the #MeToo movement. The boost it has given to addressing oppressions of various levels in a wide variety of settings is certainly no small feat.

Further the push it has given to the Malayalam film industry to strengthen women-friendly collectives and voices is significant. However, "all is well" not just yet. Anjali Menon echoes, "WCC started speaking much earlier but seems to have made the shortest progress. I think this stems from a certain conservatism in the industry where things are set into power patterns and we are seen as disruptive forces disturbing an ecosystem comfortable to those who control it" (Jha, 2018). As Menon says, long as the status quo of the patriarchal power structures remain unchallenged, women's oppression will never cease to end.