This article is the first part of an in-depth look at Tollywood’s #MeToo movement.
Hyderabad: Ever since the release of the Hema Committee report, which exposed systemic issues within Kerala’s film industry, attention has turned to similar efforts in other regional film industries.
This article is the first part of an in-depth look at Tollywood’s own #MeToo movement, examining the chronology, context and background of a struggle that began in 2018.
This process involved the creation of a committee tasked with probing sexual harassment in the Tollywood – the popular name for the Telugu film industry – which submitted its report in 2022, like Kerala’s Hema Committee did. This report, however, is yet to be made public.
The spark that lit the fire
In April 2018, a young actress named Sri Reddy gave a YouTube interview that would unexpectedly spark a reckoning within Tollywood.
Reddy revealed she had been denied membership in the Movie Artists’ Association (MAA) despite making a “commitment” – a euphemism for sexual favours demanded by influential men in exchange for film roles.
Her candid confession unexpectedly opened the floodgates, exposing a long-ignored culture of sexual exploitation in the industry and forcing Tollywood into an uncomfortable spotlight.
At first glance, it appeared that Reddy was merely complaining about a “breach of trust” – that despite her “commitment”, the other parties failed to uphold their end of the bargain. However, her bold confession went viral, catching the attention of activists, particularly the Women and Transgender Joint Action Committee (WT-JAC).
The Telugu mainstream media, with its penchant for sensationalism and high ratings, also latched onto the story. It was in this charged atmosphere that Reddy decided to take a remarkable step.
Escalation and industry backlash
In a brave move, she stripped half-naked in front of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce to protest the rampant sexual exploitation in the industry.
Her protest was not only a demand for accountability but also an expression of the helplessness faced by many women in Tollywood. She claimed these women were routinely coerced into sexual relationships in exchange for work.
Her protest marked a watershed moment for Tollywood, exposing not only the industry’s pervasive “casting couch” culture but also its silencing mechanisms.
Also read: Malayalam Cinema Is Facing a Reckoning. It May Be Telugu Film Industry’s Turn Next.
The MAA swiftly responded by threatening to ban Reddy and dismissing her protest as a publicity stunt.
“Initially, she was shamed for it. But then activists said it’s the shame of the industry. In fact, I remember the MAA washed the site of the protest with gangajal to ‘cleanse’ it of its ‘polluting nature’,” Tejaswini Madabushi, a member of Hyderabad for Feminism, told The Wire.
Political entanglement
Around this time, Pawan Kalyan, a colossal movie star who is also brother of megastar Chiranjeevi, president of the Jana Sena Party and currently deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, led a candlelight vigil for the Kathua rape victim in Hyderabad.
When a journalist asked him about his attitude towards Reddy and the other women protesting in Hyderabad while acknowledging his support for the victim in Jammu, Kalyan responded, “They are adults; instead of going to the media they can go file a complaint at the police station.”
Tejaswini told The Wire, “This offended the protesting women, especially the dialogue artists. They questioned why he couldn’t demand the constitution of a committee to investigate the matter and why he was shirking responsibility despite being a leading figure in the industry and a political leader himself.”
This led to Kalyan’s fans attacking the women on social media.
Turning point
Frustrated by the industry’s dismissiveness and Kalyan’s nonchalant response, Reddy’s anger reached a boiling point. In a shocking live television appearance, she hurled a derogatory slur at Kalyan and made an offensive gesture at him.
This marked a critical turning point, shifting the narrative and introducing a political dimension to what had initially been a protest against sexual exploitation.
Kalyan, along with family members including Chiranjeevi and Naga Babu, met with artists at the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce. There, he accused Andhra chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s son, Nara Lokesh, of orchestrating Reddy’s abusive comments and attacks on his mother.
Kalyan didn’t stop at Reddy; he also criticised Ram Gopal Varma, who admitted to advising Reddy to abuse him, as well as media channels (TV9, ABN and Mahaa News). He claimed these entities were part of a smear campaign against him, allegedly orchestrated by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Varma responded on Facebook. While acknowledging his previous vow to avoid negative comments about Kalyan, Varma felt compelled to address the accusations logically. He dismissed the conspiracy claims, likening them to far-fetched Agatha Christie plots and questioning their credibility.
As the political controversy escalated, public perception of Reddy shifted. Her outburst, once viewed as a desperate cry for justice, was now seen by many as impulsive and politically motivated.
Speaking to the Times of India, Reddy revealed her frustration at how the film industry reacted to her issues only after she used an abusive word against Kalyan. She pointed out that for over a month, she had raised concerns about sexual harassment and the casting couch, but no one paid attention until she cussed at Kalyan.
She admitted that Varma advised her to use the expletive and that although she followed through with it, her intention was not to hurt anyone but instead to draw attention to her cause.
Reddy also accused Kalyan of trying to divert attention from the real issue – her protest against sexual harassment in Tollywood – by framing it as a conspiracy.
Fallout: shifting public perception
This stunned most people, including activists.
“Senior civil society members like Babu Gogineni withdrew their support for her,” Tejaswini of Hyderabad for Feminism told The Wire.
Amid the political firestorm, Reddy’s original cause – the fight against exploitation in Tollywood – began to fade from the public’s focus. Given the remarkably subversive and disruptive nature of her protest, Reddy and other women were already facing immense pressure, with many routinely questioning their “character” and “intentions”.
Tejaswini added, “In a sense, the entire system was against her – they were simply waiting for her to slip up.”
Reddy’s strategy backfired. This turn of events seemingly stripped the issue of its feminist core. Public shaming and attempts to discredit Reddy intensified. Interviewers peppered her with degrading questions, probing her sexual history and challenging her right to dignity. The initial public support she had garnered quickly evaporated.
“She fit neither the mould of the ideal victim nor did she articulate the ‘proper’ feminist rhetoric. Some activists viewed her act as radical and subversive, while others deemed it impetuous and irresponsible,” Tejaswini told The Wire.
Reddy emerged as the wrong woman with the right cause. “Nonetheless, for me personally, she is a hero,” added Tejaswini.
Institutional response: formation of a high-level committee
While Reddy’s personal campaign may have faltered, her protest sparked institutional responses.
In October 2018, the WT-JAC took a significant step by filing a public interest litigation in the Telangana high court to investigate the exploitation of women in the industry. Vasudha Nagaraj, a JAC member, argued the case, and the judge responded favourably.
Concurrently, the National Human Rights Commission intervened, directing the Telangana government to conduct an investigation into the matter.
In April 2019, the government responded by establishing a high-level committee (HLC) to investigate sexual harassment in the Telugu film and television industries. Through government order G.O.Rt.No.948, it formed a 25-member committee comprising senior film industry figures, police officials, government representatives and women’s rights activists. The committee’s mandate was to uncover the extent of the problem and recommend concrete steps to address it.
The committee’s uphill battle
The nature of these challenges, the frequency of committee meetings, its terms of reference, the level of active participation from committee members, the number of convened sessions, the individuals interviewed, the documentation collected, the internal workings of the committee and the reasons for establishing a subcommittee to handle the actual work: all these factors reveal how this endeavour lacked substantial power from the beginning.
Understanding these details sheds light on the committee’s effectiveness and commitment to addressing the issue at hand.
Like many committees in India, this HLC faced numerous challenges from its inception. At its very first meeting, there were alleged attempts to trivialise the committee’s mission and impede its proper functioning, processes and procedures.
“We were extremely worried. We quickly realised that things were going to be incredibly challenging. Ensuring the full and proper functioning of the committee, with all its procedures and processes intact, was going to be an uphill battle,” A. Suneetha, a member of a subcommittee of the HLC, feminist researcher, JAC member and one of the petitioners, told The Wire.
Looking ahead: the committee’s crucial role
The establishment of the HLC, while initially promising as a step towards addressing systemic exploitation in Tollywood, quickly became mired in bureaucratic hurdles.
From its inception, the committee’s mission seemed compromised by internal discord, lack of clear direction and insufficient political backing.
Nevertheless, a core group of dedicated members – particularly women’s rights activists – persevered, resolute in their determination to seize this opportunity for justice.
As the dust settled, and with Reddy’s protest seemingly relegated to the background, the committee’s work became crucial. To truly address the deep-rooted issues of exploitation, the committee had to overcome significant bureaucratic and political obstacles.
In the next part, we delve into the complexities behind these challenges through an interview with A. Suneetha, who is also a key advocate against sexual harassment in the Telugu film industry. In our conversation, she revealed the systemic resistance and the tenuous victories that marked their journey behind closed doors.
This article is the first part of an in-depth look at Tollywood’s #MeToo movement.