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Leading female actors, producers and directors of Telugu films are pressuring the Telangana government to release a two-year-old report on sexual harassment in the industry as a first step towards creating a safe working environment.
It is being said that the Movie Artistes Association and the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce are also discussing a solution to the issue.
Voice of Women (VoW), a support group for women in the Telugu film industry, released a statement on August 30, drawing parallels with the Hema Samiti’s revelations of sexual abuse in Malayalam cinema. The statement gained attention when it was shared on social media by actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu and others.
“We welcome the Hema Committee report and appreciate the persistent efforts of the WCC (Women in Cinema Collective) in Kerala, which has paved the way for this moment. Taking a cue from the WCC, The Voice of Women was formed in 2019. We urge the Telangana government to publish the report of the sub-committee submitted on sexual harassment, which may help in formulating government and industry policies to establish a safe working environment for women in the Telugu film industry,” the statement said.
Delayed Report
The Hema Committee’s 235-page report on working conditions, discrimination and allegations of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry has had a huge impact. After the report was made public on August 19, several actresses came forward and shared their experiences. Since then, there have been discussions about the need for investigations in other language film industries.
A similar study was also conducted on the Telugu film industry in 2018 in the wake of actor Sri Reddy’s allegations and the #MeToo movement. However, the report, which was submitted to the Telangana government in June 2022, is yet to come out.
can of worms
In 2018, Ms Sri Reddy had alleged sexual harassment and staged a protest outside the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, which shocked everyone and attracted attention. However, she was soon shamed and banned by the Movie Artistes Association. However, her allegations had triggered a discussion about rampant sexual harassment in the industry and the issue became difficult to suppress.
VoW was then formed as a support group, with some prominent women producers, directors and actors coming forward with the intention of cleaning up the system. Speaking on behalf of VoW, founding member actor Jhansi says, “VoW was not formed by any government order. It started as a collective support group for women in cinema, television, theatre and media. We had to do this because even today no film union will take the initiative to make the workplace safe for women.”
Producers Supriya Yarlagadda, Swapna Dutt, 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. VoW members began talking to production houses and unions to set up internal complaints committees, but felt more action was needed.
High Level Committee
A PIL filed by the Telangana Mahila Sangathan Joint Action Committee prompted the state government to set up a high-level committee (HLC) under the Cinematography Department. It comprised members from the state police as well as the labour, human rights and women and child welfare departments. Later, a sub-committee was also formed with members from civil rights committees and voluntary organisations.
A Sunitha, independent researcher and member of the All India Feminist Alliance, who was part of the HLC sub-committee, says several interviews and sessions were conducted between July 2019 and March 2020, and then in 2021. A report was then finalised and submitted to the then Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on June 1, 2022.
“Discussions were held with various unions in the film industry — known as the Crafts Council — which included representatives from the apex body of the unions, and the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce. The Producers Council, women producers and directors were consulted to collect their suggestions and recommendations,” Ms. Sunitha said, describing the process of preparing the report.
Vulnerable women
“Denial of entry points for work has been a serious issue,” says Ms Jhansi, describing how unions that function as welfare bodies have become gatekeepers, demanding hefty registration fees of up to a few lakh rupees, for which there are no receipts. “They make women insecure. Getting a union card remains a problem for women make-up artists. They are only given a hairdresser’s card,” she said. It is not easy for women art directors and junior artistes either.
“The key word (or euphemism) for sexual relations used to be ‘commitment’. Since the #MeToo movement, predators have changed the way they communicate, but the problem persists,” says Ms Jhansi. It was suggested that auditions be held in public places, in the presence of other women.
The exploitation also extends to pay equality; junior artistes are often not paid for transport or have their fees reduced. Film units were also urged to ensure better working conditions for women, such as adequate toilets, changing rooms and nursing rooms.
fear of speaking
The process initially faced resistance. A committee member recalled how union heads and some production houses were even bothered to meet VoW members and say there was no exploitation and working conditions were being taken care of.
“The movement gained momentum in Malayalam cinema because the incident happened with a leading actress and other leading actresses (Revathi, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal and others) put their full strength behind it,” says Ms. Jhansi.
In comparison, most leading women acting in Telugu cinema are reluctant to speak out for fear of being marginalised. Ms Jhansi cites her own career as an example. “I quit television anchoring years ago and cinema is my bread and butter. But I get very few opportunities because film units consider me an activist and fear that I might create problems for them on the sets,” she says.
A few complaints have been received on WhatsApp groups and complaint boxes set up by the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce and some production houses, but Ms. Jhansi says women are still hesitant to take the legal route.
Guidelines required
Director Nandini Reddy says if the Telangana government publishes the report and formulates guidelines taking the cognizance of women’s groups and legal bodies, it will clear the way forward. “If an actress or technician comes forward to take the legal route, she should not be shamed. We lost momentum and crucial time due to the pandemic, but hopefully a framework of guidelines can be formulated now.”
However, since the allegations by Mr Reddy and the #MeToo movement, Ms Reddy feels things have improved in Telugu cinema. “There are a few more prominent women producers and department heads. The new generation of directors also comes with a different way of working and is keen to make the workplace equitable. There have been times when men have said they have been molested. To avoid such situations, we are suggesting that auditions be held in a transparent manner, in a public place, with a few women in attendance. The working system should be conducive to both women and men.”
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