Clout of Kerala actors on show as censored version of report on industry to be released

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 15 (IANS) In Kerala it has now become clear that actors are ‘more equal than others.’This is evident by the fact that the controversial Justice K Hema Committee Report on the conditions of women working in the Malayalam film industry will be released but it won’t reveal sensitive information.Incidentally the order of the State Information Commission to make the report public on July 24 was earlier stayed by the High Court.However, early this week the court gave the nod to release the report and it will be put in public domain on a government department’s website on Saturday.The court was acting on a petition filed by a Malayalam film producer Sajimon Parayil who argued that publishing of the report could badly affect the Malayalam film industry.After two years of investigation, the report was submitted in 2019 but the state government decided not to publish it.Now, after the High Court’s intervention the report, with sensitive areas blanked out, is finally coming out.However, this censorship has set tongues wagging that film stars obviously have major clout in Kerala.This is because, the image of a stalwart leader like two-time former Chief Minister, late Oommen Chandy was tarnished by publishing of the uncensored report in the solar scam case.Though Oommen Chandy, who held the record of being the longest-serving legislator for 53 years, was eventually exonerated, the report had done its damage by then.It all began when Team Solar, led by Biju Radhakrishnan and Saritha Nair, emerged during Chandy’s tenure in 2011.Biju Radhakrishnan and Saritha Nair defrauded investors by falsely claiming connections with leaders.When complaints surfaced, one of Chandy’s staff members was arrested and another one dismissed as the two were found to be in touch with Saritha, sparking rumours about Nair’s ties to Chandy.The CPI(M) led by then state Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan launched a massive protest forcing Chandy to appoint the Sivarajan Commission in 2014.In the 2016 Assembly polls, the solar scam was the biggest election campaign issue and Vijayan became the Chief Minister with a landslide win.The Sivarajan report was submitted in 2017 to Vijayan who placed it in the state Assembly but the very next year, Chandy got a Kerala High Court order to expunge all remarks and findings by the commission based on a letter reportedly written by Nair alleging sexual harassment against him.Later the CBI also exonerated him but by that time cancer caught up with Chandy and he passed away in July last yearSo, the current decision of the court shows that in Kerala, film stars are more equal than others.Come Saturday, all eyes are on how the Congress-led UDF will take it up.Once the contents of the Hema Committee report are known, then the comparison with the Sivarajan Commission report are certain to begin.–IANSsg/rad