Not just Hollywood, Indian film industry is also taking sexual misconduct cases seriously

Women in the US were the first to come forward and open up about sexual harassment cases they faced at workplace. It started with women reporting such cases against film producer Harvey Weinstein. This led to the beginning of the '#MeToo' movement.

As the movement grew, the magnitude of the issue came to the fore. More women from the television and film fraternity shared their ordeal on different social media sites. Acting on this was the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

In April, the American labour union representing those belonging to the media and entertainment field called for a ban on auditions in hotel rooms and residences.

The union also issued guidelines that producers and other decision makers should avoid holding professional meetings in hotel rooms and private residences, terming these places as high risk locations.

However, such guidelines have not been issued in India.

In an interview to the BBC, aspiring actor Sujatha (name changed) revealed how meeting a casting agent for an acting offer took an ugly turn.

The agent had called her to his house for the meeting, which did not trouble her, as she was told such meetings were common in the industry.

But things got worse when the agent sexually harassed her. When Sujatha reject the agent's advances, it was termed by the agent as "not the right attitude for the industry".

The industry is however such matters seriously as more sexual harassment cases within the film industry have emerged.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) recently said it will form a special committee to look into cases of sexual misconduct.