Kamya Panjabi says sexual abuse doesn't happen in TV industry: 'Nobody is telling anyone to sleep with them’

Kamya Panjabi Pic/Instagram

Amid the Jusitce Hema Committee Report startling everyone with its findings, and women of the Malayalam cinema sharing their sexual misconduct ordeals, naming those who wronged them, resulting in the registering of FIRs, popular actress Kamya Panjabi calls television the safest place in the entertainment industry sans any casting couch.

Kamya Panjabi says there is no sexual abuse in TV industry

Speaking to News18 Showsha, Kamya Panjabi said, "Television has been very clean. I don't know what used to happen in the past, but now it is very clean. There is no such filth here. People aren't forced or blackmailed here. There is no casting couch. If you fit a role, you have talent; you will be selected for the show. I feel television is the safest place in the entertainment industry. Sexual abuse does not happen here. Whatever happens, because there is mutual consent. Nobody is telling anyone to sleep with them in the promise of a role."

She added, "I know of some people who say that such things have happened to them. But again, if a girl does not want, it will not happen. It does not happen in the television industry. I don't know about films or OTT, but it does not happen in TV."

About the Justice Hema Committee report

Last month, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report on harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry was made public. It contained shocking accounts alleging harassment, exploitation, and ill-treatment of women professionals. The 235-page report, published after redacting the names of witnesses and the accused, noted that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by about 10 to 15 male producers, directors, and actors who dominate and exert control over the industry. The report of the three-member panel headed by a former judge of the Kerala High Court and set up by the state government in 2017, was submitted to the Pinrayi Vijayan government in December 2019 and made public recently.

About Kamya Panjabi

The actress gained the spotlight for portraying negative characters such as ‘Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani' and ‘Banoo Mein Teri Dulhann'. She then gained fandom for her work in shows such as ‘Piya Ka Ghar', ‘Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak' and ‘Kyun Hota Hai Pyaar'. She has also been a part of reality shows such as ‘Comedy Circus' and ‘Bigg Boss 7', hosted by Salman Khan. Currently, she's a part of ‘Ishq Jabariya', which tells the tale of Gulki, a determined young woman dreaming of becoming an air hostess despite her stepmother's oppression.