Speaking on the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of the Women in Cinema Collective, an organisation which was formed soon after a prominent woman actor was abducted and sexually assaulted in February 2017, scriptwriter Syam Pushkaran made an important assertion. Recalling the time when actor Alencier was accused of sexual harassment by his colleague Divya Gopinath, Syam said that though Alencier was a friend and requested the support of Syam and others, they took a stance not to stand by him.
"When the Alencier issue came up, he called us and asked if we could broker peace somehow. However, we said that humanity is greater than friendship. Our stance was that we will stand by the survivor till she gets a solution that she wants and that there will be no talk of friendship," Syam said.
Alencier was part of a group of actors, producers and directors who are perceived to be driving a change through progressive cinema. Many of them are members of the WCC or are friends with them. In the ugly aftermath of actor Dileep's arrest for allegedly being the mastermind behind the assault, the Malayalam film industry was split into two sides - one actively supporting Dileep and the other choosing to stand by the survivor.
It was thus even more shocking when Alencier was accused of sexual harassment by Divya Gopinath in October 2018 as part of the Me Too movement which took the entertainment industry by storm. Divya first made an anonymous allegation against Alencier, but she later came out and identified herself in order to be taken seriously. As demanded by Divya, Alencier admitted to his crime and made a public apology.
Syam's statement is a refreshing break away from the bro code, a culture through which powerful men accused of sexual harassment are protected by other men around them. And indeed, it's not only Syam. Soon after the allegations came to light, director Aashiq Abu posted on Facebook that he was ashamed to have worked with Alencier on some films. The denouncement ended with a congratulations to Divya for breaking her silence.
While a section of the women in the industry has spearheaded the demand for a gender-equal workplace, it's equally important that the men vocally support them. Despite the upheavals in recent times, several prominent men from the industry, including the big stars of the younger generation, have either chosen to maintain a diplomatic silence or thrown their lot with the accused, even making victim blaming and shaming statements. The women who have extended their support to the survivor and are fighting normalised sexism on screen and off it, have been subjected to relentless trolling - not only on social media but even in the industry, from their own colleagues. For instance, actor Parvathy received death and rape threats for voicing her opinion about Mammootty's Kasaba, a highly misogynistic film, at a panel on how women are represented on screen. Several from the industry not only wrote disparaging posts about her but also actively encouraged the abuse. Actor Rima Kallingal is also a favourite with abusive trolls on social media.
Given this context, the public stance taken by Syam and others in not entertaining sexual harassers and preventing them from using their network to get the better of survivors, is exactly what is required at this point. Also important is the fact that the people who are taking this view are successful members of the Malayalam film industry. That is, they are making films which are critically acclaimed and are doing well at the box-office. Syam's last film as scriptwriter, for example, was the blockbuster Kumbalangi Nights which was a clever twist on patriarchal macho heroes.
Sexual harassers at the workplace operate under two beliefs - their victim's silence and the impunity which their privilege guarantees them. In different circumstances, when the victim is not only heard and supported but there's a good chance that he will be ostracised by his network, a harasser may be forced to change his behaviour. It will be him and not the woman who pays the price, as has happened in Alencier's case. He has lost out on work opportunities from the successful group, not Divya.
We need more such instances going forward, where men value humanity over friendship, justice over personal equations, and voice over silence. The Alencier example is one that the rest of the industry needs to recognise as the future. They can either choose to move with the times or get left behind.