Mohanlal said he wanted similar committees to come up in all sectors. “We had a big landslide and we are surviving that tragedy. If this industry collapses, a lot of people will be left helpless. Junior artists should also have an association to address their issues. We should ensure that the industry does not collapse,” he said.
Days after resigning as Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) president, veteran actor Mohanlal has finally broken his silence on the recently released Hema Committee report and said the release of the report was a good decision of the government.
“I welcome the report. I had turned up before the committee and shared everything I know. The report mentioned several issues. The entire Malayalam film industry is answerable. AMMA is not answerable for all issues,” he said.
“Wrongdoers should be punished if there is evidence against them,” the actor said while referring to the allegations of sexual misconduct and assaults that surfaced against some of the members of the Association.
He also said that “cinema is only a slice of society, but I am not justifying what happened. AMMA Members are sentimental and are vulnerable to be shattered.” He said all people in the industry should speak. “AMMA alone should not be crucified. A lot of organisations are involved. But only we are facing the questions,” he said.
Moreover, he made it clear that he is not part of the “power group” mentioned in the report and he has no knowledge of the existence of any such group in the sector. He said Malayalam cinema is a huge industry where thousands of people work and the actor’s association AMMA could not address issues that cropped up there.
On the issue of several film professionals facing criminal cases, Mohanlal said, “There is a government. Police are after those who committed mistakes, and there is a court”.
However, he said that tens of thousands of people are working in the industry and it should move ahead. “We want to save the industry. We can talk about the mistakes later… The report talks about how to take the industry forward,” he added.
Mohanlal said he wanted similar committees to come up in all sectors. “Junior artists should also have an association to address their issues. We should ensure that the industry does not collapse,” he said.