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Education can bring about gender equality, says producer Dipti Kalwani

Producer Dipti Kalwani, who is known for her show Badho Bahu, says that empowerment of women will only become a reality in India with the help of education. The producer adds that this will help change the mindset of people. “Education is imperative for gender equality. It’s the mindset of people that needs to change. Our leaders and mothers play a vital role too. Kids at the young age need to be told that they are equal and our leaders need to ensure that justice happens in cases where women exploitation is concerned,” she says on the occasion of International Women’s Day today.
The small screen has often depicted many women characters, both strong and weak, says Dipti. “Television has always depicted both progressive and regressive characters. It helps to show the difference,” she adds.
She adds, “TV shows show progressive characters who stand with their families, backing them and such shows tend to do better. This is because, for the Indian audience, families come first. Having said that, even rebellious characters do well when their motives are justified.”

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Kerala actress assault case

Inside the Kerala actress assault case and the reckoning it triggered in Malayalam cinema

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The Kerala actress assault case explained: How it is changing industry culture in Malayalam cinema

Highlights:

  • February 2017: Actress abducted and sexually assaulted; case reported the next day.
  • Legal journey: Trial ran nearly nine years, with witnesses turning hostile and evidence disputes.
  • Verdict: Six accused convicted; actor Dileep acquitted of conspiracy in December 2025.
  • Industry impact: Led to WCC, Hema Committee report, and exposure of systemic harassment.
  • Aftermath: Protests, public backlash, and survivor’s statement questioning justice and equality.

You arrive in Kochi, and it feels like the sea air makes everything slightly sharper; faces in the city look purposeful, a film poster peels at the corner of a wall. In a city that has cradled a thriving film industry for decades, a single crime on the night of 17 February 2017 ruptured the ordinary: an abduction, a recorded sexual assault and a survivor who reported it the next day. What happened next is every woman’s unspoken nightmare, weaponised into brutal reality. It was a public unpeeling of an industry’s power structures, a slow-motion fight over evidence and testimony, and a national debate about how institutions protect (or fail) women.

For over eight years, her fight for justice became a mirror held up to an entire industry and a society. It was a journey from the dark confines of that car to the glaring lights of a courtroom, from being a silenced victim to becoming a defiant survivor whose voice sparked a revolution. This is not just the story of a crime. It is the story of what happens when one woman says, "Enough," and the tremors that follow.

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