Hello and welcome to Mind the Gap, a newsletter that adds perspective to the gender developments of the week.
THE BIG STORY: Malayalam film industry inches towards legal compliance
If the promise to set up committees to look into complaints of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry holds true, it will be a historic first that comes nine years after Indiaâs law on workplace sexual harassment was passed in 2013.
At a recently concluded workshop, various film bodies in Kerala pledged to set up internal committees (ICs) in film production units and conduct awareness programmes for employees.
Under the law, all workplaces must have ICs where women can file complaints of sexual harassment. These committees are empowered to investigate the complaints and recommend punitive action.
The film industryâs misogyny problem
Indiaâs notoriously misogynist film industry has been plagued with charges of sexual harassment, many which first saw the light of day during the #MeToo movement in 2018. Most complaints fizzled out with poor follow through and some accused filing criminal defamation cases.
In February 2022, Kerala state award winning film director Senna Hegde announced she was setting up an IC as part of the crew for her film, 1744WA. The film was amongst the first to have such a committee.
There is also an IC for the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) but it is restricted to complaints by AMMA members.
Women in Cinema Collective
In February 2017, an actress was sexually assaulted and raped in a moving car in Kochi while she was returning home from a shooting assignment. The crime was filmed and was allegedly instigated at the behest of Dileep, a leading male film star. That case is in the court where Dileep is named as one of the accused.
The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) was formed by 18 women in response to that assault. âThe assault took place in a workplace situation,â says Bina Paul, a founding member. âWe felt the need to set up systems to ensure the security of women.â
Three years ago, WCC filed a public interest litigation in the Kerala High Court asking for the sexual harassment law to be followed by the Malayalam film industry. The Womenâs Commission of Kerala as well as the Mumbai-based Cine and TV Artistesâ Association also joined the litigation, hearing for which concluded on March 3.
Also at the WCCâs urging, the state government in June 2017 set up the Justice K Hema Commission to study and understand the workings of the industry. The commission submitted its report in December 2019. Its findings and recommendations have never been made public.
Hurdles
Implementing the law by setting up ICs will not be easy. The first hurdle is defining a workplace since multiple films are shot at various locations and people work on different sets at the same time.
But, says Paul, these objections are âutter nonsenseâ. âIf I go to three sets, I am somebodyâs employee in each set. By law, my employer has to ensure my safety.â
There is a deliberate attempt to make matters more complicated than they should be, she continues. âThere will be hiccups. In any case ICs are only one step that the law envisages.â
The real hurdle is an attitude that is âalmost feudal and very patriarchalâ. âThere is a lot of talk about loving each other, working as a family, friendship, talent and creativity,â she says. But the law is clear: Every working woman has the right to a safe work place free of sexual harassment.
The promise to implement the law is a âresult of WCCâs hard work. This moment must be celebrated but with caution. Feminism has become a PR exercise for too many Indian institutions in the past decade, and there is reason to be wary in this case too, considering the resistance WCC has faced within their industry so far despite immense public support for them in Kerala,â says film critic Anna M.M. Vetticad.
If the ICs for films are set up, it will be a win for womenâs rights in the Malayalam film industry. One that could pave the way for other industries, including Bollywood.
|