Mohanlal: The Hema Committee Report should be welcomed

Mohanlal held his his first media interaction after the release of the Hema Committee Report and the flurry of sexual misconduct allegations that ensued. He started the interaction by highlighting the irony of him addressing an "unfortunate" incident concerning his industry at the same place, Thiruvananthapuram, where he began his acting career 47 years ago. Then he said, "I am not used to facing such press conferences and do not know how to speak authoritatively. It's my sense of morality, my values, and my rationale that bring me to such discourse. So I cannot answer your complex questions."

The actor seemed to be cognisant of the flak he faced after responding to a journalist of The News Minute about women's safety in cinema. In a recently released video of the interview, he can be seen saying, "Men should also start MeToo, gender-wise."

He also explained his delayed response on the latest topic of discussion in the industry. "People said that Mohanlal disappeared after such an incident in Malayalam cinema. I did not run away from anything. I was in Gujarat, Mumbai, and Chennai for some personal reasons, the most important of which concerns my wife's surgery. The final mix of my directorial debut Barroz was also underway, so I could not come back quickly from those committements," said the actor, while adding, "The release of my film has been postponed; we cannot proceed with it at this hour."

Mohanlal then got to the heart of the matter when he said, "Cinema is just part a part of society; whatever happens elsewhere happens here too. The Hema Committee Report should be welcomed. I had appeared before the committee and answered all their questions. I talked about what I know as an actor and producer. The whole industry is answerable to the revelations in the report," said the actor, suggesting that AMMA is not solely accountable.

He went on to add, "The report highlights multiple things in different aspects of the industry, not just one or two. You know better than I do. It is important for us to work towards addressing those issues together."