Tanushree Dutta, a prominent voice against sexual harassment in the Hindi film industry, has openly criticized the recent Justice K Hema Committee report addressing sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry. In an interview with News 18, Tanushree expressed her disappointment, labeling the report as “useless” and questioned the effectiveness of such committees, including the Vishakha Committee, which was initially established to prevent workplace harassment.
Speaking candidly about the Hema Committee report, Tanushree remarked, “What’s the point of this new report anyway? All they had to do was arrest the accused and enforce a strong law and order system. I remember hearing about the Vishakha Committee, which came up with so many guidelines and prepared pages and pages of reports, but what happened after that? The names of the committees just keep changing.”
Tanushree didn’t hold back in her criticism of the system, calling out individuals like Nana Patekar and Dileep, whom she described as “narcissistic psychopaths.” She added, “There’s no cure for them. Only a vicious and vengeful man can do what they did. I don’t care about these committees. I have no trust in this system. It feels like with these reports and committees, they’re just wasting our time rather than doing the real work. Having a safe workplace is a basic right for a woman — or any human being, for that matter.”
The Justice K Hema Committee was established following a request from the Women in Cinema Collective after a 2017 incident in which a female Malayalam actor was sexually assaulted in a moving vehicle in Kochi. Actor Dileep was among those accused in the case. However, Tanushree believes the committee’s efforts have done little to bring about real change or justice.
Tanushree’s comments also revisit her own experiences with sexual harassment. In 2008, she accused actor Nana Patekar of harassing her on the set of “Horn Ok Please,” an allegation that led to political backlash and criticism within the Indian film industry. Although she first spoke out about the incident in 2008, it was during the 2018 MeToo movement in India that her accusations gained renewed attention, as she detailed how her career had suffered after coming forward with her story.