Bengaluru: A section of actors, writers, directors and other stakeholders has demanded a Justice K.Hema committee-like panel to look into issues faced by women in the Kannada film industry, popularly called ‘Sandalwood’.
The Film Industry for Rights & Equality (FIRE) urged the Siddaramaiah government to form a committee under the stewardship of a retired judge to “address similar concerns” within the Kannada film industry.
“While FIRE has been instrumental in establishing India’s first-ever film industry Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in the Kannada Film Industry and advocating for survivors of sexual harassment (2017-present), we recognise that more comprehensive measures are needed to create a safe and equitable working environment for all women in the industry,” the forum said in a statement Wednesday.
The letter was signed by 153 actors, producers, writers, academics and even advocates and others from the film fraternity, including FIRE president Kavita Lankesh, Ramya (Divya Spandana), Shruthi Hariharan, and senior counsel Jayna Kothari.
The demand comes close on the heels of Kerala’s Hema Committee report that exposed horrors of sexual harassment, violation, assault and the existence of a ‘power group’, who purportedly exploited women with either promise of reward, blackmail, or just to survive in the movie industry.
There have been similar demands from the Telugu film industry.
“It (sexual exploitation or harassment) happens here. We all know it happens. Some are large, and some minor. The large incident is when the women are forced to quit and go away. Minor incidents, women just take it as part of working life and move on,” actor Malvika Avinash, also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said.
Kannada cinema is among one of India’s biggest film industries and with big-blockbusters like ‘K.G.F’ and ‘Kantara’ doing well beyond its borders, it has also attracted talent and attention from other parts of the country.
Also Read: Hema Committee report took 5 yrs to come out. Telugu film industry’s version still under wraps
‘What happens is like a piecemeal’
The Kannada film industry has been through its share of turmoil, especially after one of its biggest stars, Darshan Thoogudeepa, was accused of murder. Darshan and his associates are accused of murdering 32-year-old Renukaswamy, who allegedly sent lewd messages to the actor’s partner.
Allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination, power groups and assault is also not new to the Kannada film industry. In 2011, the Kannada Film Producers Association (KFPA) ‘banned’ actor Nikita Thukral, suspected to have had an affair with Darshan, after his wife made an official complaint.
Several Kannada movie stars like Puneeth Rajkumar, his mother Parvathamma, Ramesh Aravind and Tara among others came in support of Thukral, forcing the KFPA to lift the ban.
Even at the peak of the #MeToo movement, several Kannada actors came forward to highlight the exploitative nature of the industry. In 2018, actor Shruthi Hariharan accused veteran star Arjun Sarja of ‘misbehaving’ with her during the filming of the movie, ‘Vismaya’. Shruthi and her supporters had faced heavy backlash, including abuse and threats on TV, social media and other platforms.
Popular Kannada film actor Sanjjanaa Galrani said that women who walk into the industry are not immediately aware of their rights within the set up of films. She points to conmen posing as producers, directors and others to exploit them and a committee would help the new entrants as well as protect their rights.
She said such attitudes are seen in all industries but more in films where a woman portraying a character is seen in the same light even off camera.
“The film industry demands more glamorous women, there is more sexualism involved . Screen also if you look at women, they wear exposing clothes and they act. So what happens is that they take women for granted and that if she can do this on screen, you can make her do this off screen as well,” Galrani said.
Actors who spoke to ThePrint say that it is up to the government to set up a committee but also have their doubts if authorities will take the matter seriously.
“Yes there should be such a committee. The film industry is an unorganised industry. What happens is like a piecemeal. You do a film, it’s shot over a 100 days average, some go beyond that also. All those involved in the film are employed for those many days,” Avinash said.
She added that the lack of a permanent redressal forum forces women to overlook the incident or go to the police.
“What happens is that in case there is an incident that any woman thinks is worth complaining about—whether it is sexual harassment, issues relating to her own remuneration, pending wages and other difficulties. This whole group is dismissed once the project is over. Either you immediately state your problem and seek redressal or you cannot go back and complain. The team disintegrates. Therefore it is very, very difficult to seek redressal. And what if my complaint itself is against the producer, assuming he is the employer. Who do you go and complain to?” she asked.
The film chamber has no judicial or policing powers and at best can arbitrate but it, like other such associations, do not function very effectively, the actor said.
“The possibilities of harassment are when you are outside your home, in a hotel or in an unfamiliar environment. Even the predator will not attempt anything in the regular atmosphere. He will also look for vulnerability,” Avinash said.
She added that earlier, the entire film crew and everyone associated with the movie would be herded to an outstation location and sometimes women are forced to change behind trees or even did not have spaces to relieve themselves.
“But now, actors say, things have improved for the leading actors but the situation is the same for junior artistes. Maybe women of that strata, in terms of work, still suffer. They have always been extremely unfair (towards junior artistes),” she said.
Multiple people that ThePrint spoke to said that actors, directors and producers throwing tantrums and abusing people on set is common.
The film forum has demanded that the committee conduct a thorough investigation into the systemic issues faced by women, including sexual harassment, as well as develop and recommend policies to ensure a healthy and equitable work environment for all women in the industry.
“FIRE requests that the committee complete its investigation and submit its report within three months. We wish the findings of the report to be made public, at the earliest too,” the forum said in a statement. (EOM)
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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