Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu shared a note on her Instagram stories on behalf of the WCC, which stands for Women in Cinema Collective. She lauded the ‘persistent efforts’ of the women's collective in Kerala, which led to the findings in the Hema Committee. She also urged the Telangana government to release the report on sexual harassment in the Telugu film industry. 

Samantha on safety of women in Tollywood

On Instagram Stories, Samantha lauded those in Kerala who were persistent in getting the report released, writing, “We, the women of the Telugu film industry, welcome the Hema Committee report and applaud the persistent efforts of the WCC in Kerala, which has laid the path to this moment. Taking cue from the WCC, The Voice of Women, a support group for women in the TFI, was created in 2019.”

Asking for similar measures in Telangana so women’s safety can be paramount in Tollywood, she added, “We hereby urge the Telangana government to publish the submitted sub committee report on sexual harassment, which can help frame government and industry policies, to establish a safe working environment for women in the TFI. @wcc_cinema.”

About the Hema Committee report

The Justice K Hema Committee report detailed allegations of sexual abuse by male actors, directors and crew members in the Malayalam film industry. Several female actors have since come forward with complaints leading to registration of FIRs against actor-politician Mukesh, Siddique, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu and director Ranjith.

The Kerala government constituted the committee after the 2017 assault case of a female actor by Dileep. The report revealed several instances of harassment and exploitation of women in Mollywood. Now, Samantha and the WCC is urging for a similar report to be released on Tollywood so measures can be taken to curb harassment and exploitation.

Upcoming work

Samantha with soon be seen in Raj & DK’s web series, Citadel: Honey Bunny, with Varun Dhawan as his co-star. It will be out on Amazon Prime Video on November 7. She will also be seen in a film she produced titled Maa Inti Bangaram. The actor took a backseat from acting after she was diagnosed with myositis.

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