Women in Telugu film industry want to release 2022 report on harassment after Malayalam film industry crisis.
Top female actors, producers and directors of Telugu films are pressing the Telangana government to release a two-year-old report on sexual harassment in the industry as a first step towards creating a safer work environment.
The Movie Artistes Association and the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce are also said to be discussing how to resolve the issue.
The Voice of Women (VoW), an advocacy group for women in the Telugu film industry, issued a statement on August 30 paralleling the Hema Committee’s revelation of sexual exploitation in Malayalam cinema. The statement gained attention when it was shared on social media by actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu and others.
“We welcome the Hema Committee report and applaud the continued efforts of the WCC [Women in Cinema Collective] In Kerala, which paved the way for this moment. Taking a cue from the WCC, Women’s Voice was created in 2019. We thus request the Telangana Government to release the sub-committee report submitted on sexual harassment, which can help frame government and industry policies to establish a safe working environment for women. in the Telugu film industry,” the statement said.
Delayed report
The 235-page Hema Committee report on allegations of working conditions, discrimination and sexual exploitation in the Malayalam film industry has had a snowball effect. After the report was released on August 19, several actresses came forward and shared their experiences. Since then, the need for investigation has been discussed in other language film industries.
A similar study was conducted in the Telugu film industry in 2018 in the wake of the actor Sri Reddy’s allegations and the #MeToo movement. However, the report submitted to the Telangana government in June 2022 is yet to see the light of day.
can of worms
In 2018, Ms. Sri Reddy alleged sexual harassment and staged a protest outside the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, which forced everyone to sit up and take notice. However, he was soon disgraced and banned by the Movie Artists Association. Her allegations, however, opened a can of worms about widespread sexual harassment in the industry, and the issue became harder to brush under the carpet.
VoW was then formed as a support group, where a few prominent women producers, directors and actors came forward with the intention of cleaning up the system. “VoW did not originate from a government mandate. It started as a collective support group for women in cinema, television, theater and media. We had to do this because even today, no film union will take the initiative to make the workplace safer for women,” said actor Jhansi, a founder member, speaking on behalf of VoW.
Produced by Supriya Yarlagadda, Sapna Dutta, C. Kalyan, Damodar Prasad and director Nandini Reddy are among those who have been actively engaging with various industry stakeholders on the issue since 2018. The Internal Complaints Committee, however, felt that further action was necessary.
High level committee
A public interest litigation filed by the Telangana Mahila Sanstha Joint Action Committee prompted the state government to constitute a High-Level Committee (HLC) under the Department of Cinematography. It included members of the state police as well as labor, human rights and women and child welfare departments. Later, a sub-committee was formed with members of civil rights associations and voluntary organizations.
A. Sunitha, an independent researcher and member of the All India Feminist Alliance, who was part of the HLC sub-committee, said several interviews and sessions were conducted between July 2019 and March 2020 and again in 2021. After this, a report was finalized and submitted to the then Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on June 1, 2022.
“Discussions were held with various unions of the film industry — known as Karushilpa Parishads — including the apex body of unions and representatives of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce. Producer councils, women producers and directors were consulted to gather suggestions and recommendations,” said Ms. Sunitha, describing the report-making process.
defenseless woman
“Denial of entry points for work has become a pressing matter,” said Ms. Jhansi, explaining how unions, which are supposed to act as welfare agencies, have become gatekeepers, demanding hefty registration fees of up to several lakh rupees, for which there are no receipts. “They make women vulnerable. Union cards remain a problem for female makeup artists. They are given only one hairdresser card,” he said. It is not easy for women art directors and junior artists too.
“key words [or euphemism] ‘Promises’ used for sexual favors. Since the #MeToo movement, stalkers have changed the way they communicate, but the problem remains,” Ms. Jhansi said. It was proposed that auditions be conducted in public spaces, in the presence of other women
Exploitation extends to equal pay; Junior artists often don’t get paid for transportation or their fees are shortchanged. Film units were urged to ensure better working conditions for women such as adequate washrooms, changing rooms and nursing rooms.
fear of speaking
The process was initially met with resistance. A member of the committee revealed how union heads and a few production houses were even bothered to meet members of VoW and say there was no exploitation and working conditions were being taken care of.
“In Malayalam cinema, the movement gained traction because the triggering incident happened to a leading actress and other prominent actresses. [Revathy, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal, and others] Put their energy behind it,” says Ms. Jhansi.
In comparison, most prominent women in Telugu cinema are reluctant to speak up for fear of being ostracized. Miss Jhansi cited her own career as an example. “I quit television anchoring a few years ago and cinema is my bread and butter. But I get very few opportunities because film units treat me as a worker and fear that, on the sets, I might make things difficult for them,” she says.
WhatsApp groups and complaint boxes set up at the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce and some production houses have received a few complaints, but Ms. Jhansi says women still hesitate to take the legal route.
Need guidance
Director Nandini Reddy said that it would pave the way forward if the Telangana government releases the report and formulates guidelines in consideration of women’s groups and legal bodies. “If any actress or technician comes forward to take the legal route, she should not be shamed. We have lost momentum and significant time due to the pandemic, but hopefully, a framework of guidelines can now be put in place.”
Since Sri Reddy’s allegations and the #MeToo movement, Ms Reddy feels things have taken a turn for the better in Telugu cinema. “There are also several prominent female producers and department heads. The new generation of managers also brings different work dynamics and is eager to make the workplace fairer. There have been times when men say they have been manipulated. To avoid such situations, we recommend that auditions be conducted transparently, in public spaces, with few women present. Work arrangements should be suitable for both men and women.
