'good decision' of govt, says Mohanlal on Hema Committee report

Days after resigning as Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) president, actor Mohanlal has finally broken his silence on the recently released Hema Committee report and said he was not part of any power group in the Malayalam film industry 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 actors's association AMMA could not address issues that cropped up there.

He said the executive panel of the Association headed by him resigned recently in the wake of allegations being raised against it after the release of the report by Justice Hema Committee. It was for the first time that Mohanlal, former president of AMMA, was addressing the media following the release of the expert panel report which shed light on the alleged harassment and exploitation of women professionals in the Malayalam film industry.

"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.

"I am not part of any power group in Malayalam cinema and not aware of the existence of any such group," he added. He also said the release of the Hema Committee report was a good decision of the government.

At an event, Mohanlal also mentioned that he was recently busy with his family as his wife was undergoing surgery, the reason due to which he couldn't respond to the issue earlier.

Earlier this week, Mohanlal resigned alongside other top officials amid fierce backlash over some of its members facing sexual abuse allegations.  Many women actors, including a Bengali actress, have gone public with allegations of sexual harassment against some of the well-known faces of Malayalam cinema, including eminent director Ranjith and actors Siddique and Mukesh, in the wake of the Justice K Hema Committee report.