'Then Don't Do Films:' How Women Actors in Bengali Film Industry Are 'Silenced'

The Hema report came at a time when safer workplaces for women was under the spotlight over the RG Kar rape case.

(Triggering Warning: Mentions of sexual misconduct. Discretion advised)

When Bengali actor Tanika Basu read parts of the Justice K Hema Committee report, which detailed how women working in Malayalam film industry were asked to make 'adjustments' and 'compromises' – euphemisms for sexual favours – it felt all too familiar.

While the report 'shocked' her, she wasn't 'too surprised'.

"This is what most of us women artists go through on a daily basis... There is an understated expectation for 'compromise' or 'sex on demand' within the Bengali film industry, too. This systemic patriarchy, which has been normalised, is extremely problematic."

Tanika Basu to The Quint

The Hema Committee report comes at a time when the debate for safer workplaces is under the spotlight over the rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

As the protests in the West Bengal capital continue to rage, at least five films, including Parambrata Chattopadhyay's Ei Raat Tomar Ama, Ron Raj’s Porichoy Gupta, Saurav Palodhi’s Onko Ki Kothin, and Krishnendu Chatterjee’s Jomaloye Jibonto Bhanu, have either been rescheduled or indefinitely postponed.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, 11 September, actor Ritabhari Chakraborthy said that the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has agreed to create a body similar to the Hema Committee to investigate the sexual harassment allegations in the Bengali industry.

"... An unbiased committee of 5, headed by a former justice was formed consisting of women of different designation from doctor to Lawyer who will investigate the sexual harassment practices in Bengali Film Industry and create a report. First step towards unmaking the predators."

Ritabhari Chakraborthy in an Instagram post

This comes after nearly 50 women artists from the Women's Forum for Screen Workers released a charter of demands advocating for safer working conditions in the industry.

'Sexual Abuse Rampant in Bengali Film Industry'

"Sexual abuse and misogyny have been normalised in the Bengali film industry for years. I have been at the receiving end of such behaviour for years now. It is an open secret," said Sreelekha Mitra, who is best known for her role in Once Upon a Time in Calcutta.

At least five women actors alleged to The Quint that sexual abuse and misconduct was prevalent within the industry.

Mitra was among the first few to speak out and file a police complaint against Malayalam movie director Ranjith alleging misbehaviour, which forced him to resign as chairman of the Kerala Film Academy. Ranjith has denied the allegations.

Elaborating on the 'understated expectation for sex on demand', Basu, who has been in the industry for 10 years, said,

"In 2023, I was taken aback when a casting director sent me a form to fill up, below which there was a clause asking, 'If I was comfortable in compromise'. When I asked him what it means, he said that he was surprised that despite working for years in the industry, 'I did not know what that means'. He said that I needn't sign it if I didn't want to, but I was still shocked that this happened..."

Tanika Basu to The Quint

Ananya Sen, who acted in A Suitable Boy directed by Mira Nair, admitted that as a male-dominated industry, patriarchy and misogyny are both 'instilled'.

"A very senior actor in the industry would joke about how he used to shoot intimate scenes multiple times to touch a woman’s breasts. He has done that with me too. The irony is that after being felt up, I did not realise. I never spoke up, but maybe I should have. I understand that it is wrong..." Sen said.

When asked how 'compromises' would be asked for, “Samajdaro ke liye ishare kaafi hote hai (a hint is enough for the wise)" is how Basu described it.

"People won't use the word 'compromise' but will make it somewhat clear that you have to meet them and be available whenever they call you for a meeting late in the night. If you say no, you will be sidelined. You probably won't get more work from that production house for the next couple of years."

Tanika Basu to The Quint

The Hema Committee report, too, highlighted how women in the Malayalam film industry were scared to speak out over the "fear of being sidelined."

"In most cases, when this (sexual misconduct) happens, women end up keeping quiet because of the fear... Going to the police is not the solution because most of the time, we are told that since we belong to the industry, this is bound to happen... 'Then don’t do films' is the response," Sen said.

On 8 September, the Directors’ Association of Eastern India suspended a Bengali filmmaker after an actress approached the West Bengal Commission for Women, accusing him of harassment and indecent behaviour.

The filmmaker denied allegations, saying what was being construed as misbehaviour was "unintentional," according to reports.

'Been Told I am Not Sexy Enough'

Women actors also highlighted how sexist jokes and body shaming were commonplace. Basu told The Quint that male actors and technicians feel "entitled to make lewd comments as jokes". She recounted how she was denied movie roles because she was told that she was "not sexy or hot enough..." and that she would "not sell".

"If you speak back to them, they call you 'a feminist' and brush it off as a joke. But why would you joke about it? Who is giving you this entitlement to body shame us? When they call us feminists, it is as if they are abusing us."

Tanika Basu to The Quint

Sen recounted how senior male actors, directors, and technicians talk about women and their body parts to their faces. "When you speak up, you are asked to take it as a joke and be alright with it..." she added.

Sen, who earlier worked an assistant director, also highlighted the lack of basic facilities for women technicians in the film industry. "I remember when I was an assistant director, there would be no toilet. We won't be able to use the bathroom for hours. We weren't allowed to go and use the one which was in the actor's vanity van," she said.

Actor-director Parambrata Chattopadhyay, who's known for films like Kahaani and Abhijaan, told The Quint, “Sexual harassment, unfortunately, has been normalised for decades in every single film industry."

"Yes, there is misogyny, patriarchy and exploitation," he conceded.

"As male members of this fraternity, we have certain responsibilities... I (an actor) cannot suddenly pass a comment to a woman (about her). The normalisation of these things leads to other incidents like a male co-actor knocking on a female co-actor’s door in the wee hours of the night (as was reported in the Malayalam film industry in the Hema Committee report).”

Parambrata Chattopadhyay

The women actors further highlighted the huge pay parity between male and female actors within the Bengali film industry.

“We as female actors want for our work to be consumed, not for us to be consumed," added Basu.

Meanwhile, Rupanjana Mitra, a Bengali film and television actress, lamented to The Quint that the conversation always ends at "we need better safeguards for women" but then "the cycle of abuse repeats".

"When will actual change come about? Until and unless, our thinking does not change such incidents will keep happening. Women who are in the industry are often vulnerable as a film set does not follow a specific routine with fixed rules or guidelines. Many men in strong positions in such a setting utilise such a skewed power dynamic to their favour."

Rupanjana Mitra to The Quint

However, Sreelekha Mitra said that the discussion was taking place now since the spotlight is on violence against women.

"My question is, why should it take such instances to speak out against it? Since I was vocal about it from the beginning, I was sidelined, and segregated from the industry, and was not given acting jobs while the meaty roles went to those who kept mum. This is what you get for speaking the truth out here, I guess," Mitra told The Quint.

RG Kar Protests, Charter of Demands, & Postponement of Movies

Over the last few weeks, several actors, producers, directors, camerapersons, and technicians have joined the protests in Kolkata in large numbers.

“We haven’t seen protests like this on the streets of Kolkata in the last 10-15 years. We are appalled at what has happened in our city which is otherwise considered one of the safer places. The protests have come because of a lot of reasons, including this being the most heinous crimes we’ve come across."

Parambrata Chattopadhyay

Chattopadhyay added that the justice has to be two-fold. "One is immediate justice for the victim… Two, a plea and cry targeted at the state machinery, so they admit that there were issues which has led to something as terrible and horrific as this."

He added that the postponement of the release of the films was "essentially because of the climate which is the aftermath of the RG Kar incident.”

On 3 September, the Mamata Banerjee-led government passed the Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024, introducing death penalty for the convicted perpetrator in instances when the assault kills or leaves the victim in a vegetative state.

Speaking to The Quint, a Trinamool Congress spokesperson, who did not wish to be named, said, "Let see if any such incident is taking place... obviously the state government will take action", adding, "As you know there is so much misinformation going on".

Meanwhile, the Women's Forum for Screen Workers on 27 August wrote to four bodies, including Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI), West Bengal Motion Pictures Artist Forum, Eastern India Motion Picture Association, Tele Academy, and the West Bengal government asking for better working conditions for women.

The letter not only highlighted the lack of functional support systems to prevent and address sexual harassment but spoke about the silence regarding recurring incidents of abuse in their workplaces.

"As women working in the Bengali film, web platform and television industry, we face various kinds of sexual abuse every day; as well as regularly hear of the rampant abuse faced by women, children and those of marginal identities. Yet, neither there is a functional support system in place to enable us to demand the Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment under the existing laws of India..."

Women's Forum For Screen Workers

Basu, Sen, and actor Churni Ganguly (who recently portrayed the role of Alia Bhatt's mother in Rocky Aur Rani ki Prem Kahani) told The Quint that though the charter was already in the works, the Hema Committee report had pushed women actors to come out and speak about the abuse they face.

"It would make perfect sense to formalise a social audit of the prevailing conditions in the Bengali film industry right now. The Womens’ Forum of Screen Workers have made certain very valid points in this regard, " Ganguly told The Quint.

"We’ve experienced misogyny and patriarchy in our field, especially because this industry has a lot of male gazes. We were already in talks on how we can fight this. It was during this time that the Hema report came out. Many got the confidence to come out with their own experiences, and everything fell into place," Basu said.

The FCTWEI, on 30 August, launched the Suraksha Bandhu Committee to address and resolve complaints of sexual misconduct on film sets.

The association emphasised on the industry's zero-tolerance stance on the mistreatment of women and assured that any complaints received would be treated with utmost confidentiality, and the identity of the complainants would be protected.

The Quint reached out to FCTWEI president Swaroop Biswas via call and text. We will update the story if and when he responds.

'Need For Systemic Change'

The Women's Forum for Screen Workers recommended multiple suggestions to improve the working conditions of women in Bengali cinema, some of which include:

• The need for an 'intimacy coordinator' or 'intimacy director' in film sets

• A 24x7 helpline for survivors of sexual harassment as an effective tool of 'whistleblowing'

• Adoption of the widest possible definition of 'workplace' and 'worker' as laid out in the POSH Act, 2013

• Addressing gender-based violence in the workplace through the use of international regulations like the ILO Convention No. 190 [C190] which recognises the right to a world of work free from violence and harassment

• Regular awareness initiatives on the workers' rights and procedures to seek justice when that right is denied without fear or favour

"This can foster an important conversation in Bengali cinema. There needs to be a systemic change in our industry and society. We need a solid support system, and good legal reforms," Tanika Basu said, adding that this is the "beginning of a long journey ahead".

Ananya Sen told The Quint that she is looking forward to the creation of a body like the Women's Cinema Collective (WCC) in Kerala.

Ganguly pointed out that it is the collective responsibility of everyone on set to ensure "that a safe working environment is provided to women actors, technicians, and artistes."

"The first thing that we need is to clearly lay out a code of conduct for productions. While there are clear guidelines coming from the Vishaka Committee, the realities within a film industry workspace have nuanced, practical differences. We need to create this sitting with all the stakeholders, especially women, children, and LGBTQ+ members of our industry. These guidelines should then, through discussions, get accepted by all the stakeholders in the industry. Once we formalise this, it could be a very good starting point of reference for moving forward towards a more sensitive and equitable environment. While things need to happen, we also need to be patient about outcomes."

Churni Ganguly

Conceding to Ganguly, Parambrata Chattopadhyay said that there is a need of a code of conduct and constitution of a neutral and independent Internals Complaint Committee (ICC). “There has to be a code of conduct (based on how the film industry functions). If it means we need to have strict rules and regulations, so be it," he added.

(The story has been updated with the TMC spokesperson's response.)