Leading women actors, producers, and directors of Telugu films are pushing the Telangana government to release a two-year-old report on sexual harassment in the industry, as the first step toward creating a safe working environment.
The Movie Artistes Association and the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce are also learnt to be discussing how to address this issue.
The Voice of Women (VoW), a support group for women in the Telugu film industry, issued a statement on August 30 drawing parallels to the Hema Committee’s revelations of sexual exploitation in Malayalam cinema. The statement garnered attention when it was shared on social media by actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and others.
“We welcome the Hema Committee report and applaud the persistent efforts of the WCC [Women in Cinema Collective] in Kerala, which has laid the path to this moment. Taking a cue from the WCC, The Voice of Women was created in 2019. We hereby urge the Telangana government to publish the submitted sub-committee report 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 the working conditions, discrimination and allegations of sexual exploitation in the Malayalam film industry has had a snowball effect. 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 necessity for investigations into other language film industries.
A similar study was conducted on the Telugu film industry in the wake of actor Sri Reddy’s allegations in 2018 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 had alleged sexual harassment and staged a protest outside the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, which made everyone sit up and take notice. However, she was soon shamed and banned by the Movie Artistes Association. Her allegations had, however, opened a can of worms about rampant sexual harassment in the industry and the issue became tough to brush under the carpet.
VoW was then formed as a support group, with a few prominent women producers, directors and actors stepping forward with an intent to clean up the system. “VoW did not emerge from a government mandate. It began 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,” says actor Jhansi, a founding member speaking on behalf of VoW.
Producers Supriya Yarlagadda, Swapna Dutt, C. Kalyan, Damodar Prasad, and director Nandini Reddy are among those who have been actively engaging with varied stakeholders in the industry on this issue since 2018. VoW members began talking to production houses and unions to set up Internal Complaints Committees, but felt that more action was needed.
High-level committee
A public interest litigation filed by the Telangana Women’s Organisation joint action committee prompted the State government to set up a high-level committee (HLC) under the Department of Cinematography. It also included members from the Labour, Human Rights, and Women and Child Welfare departments, along with the State police. Later, a sub-committee was formed with members of civil rights societies and voluntary organisations as well.
A. Suneetha, an independent researcher and member of the All India Feminist Alliance, who was part of the HLC sub-committee, says that several interviews and sessions were conducted between July 2019 and March 2020, and then again in 2021. After that, a report was finalised and submitted on June 1, 2022, to the then-Chief Secretary, Somesh Kumar.
“Discussions were held with different unions in the film industry — known as crafts councils — including the apex body of the unions and representatives of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce. The producers’ council, women producers and directors were consulted to gather their suggestions and recommendations,” Ms. Suneetha said, describing the process of preparing the report.
Vulnerable women
“Denying entry points for work has been a pressing issue,” says Ms. Jhansi, explaining how unions that are supposed to function as welfare bodies have become gatekeepers, demanding hefty registration fees up to a few lakh rupees, for which there are no receipts. “They make women vulnerable. It remains a problem for women makeup artists to get a union card. They are only given a hairdresser’s card,” she said. Women art directors and junior artists do not have it easy either.
“The key word [or euphemism] for sexual favours used to be ‘commitment’. Since the #MeToo movement, predators have changed the way they communicate, but the issue persists,” Ms. Jhansi says. It was suggested that auditions be conducted in public spaces, in the presence of other women.
Exploitation also extends to pay parity; junior artistes often do not get paid for transport or are shortchanged in their fees. Film units were also urged to ensure better working conditions for women, such as adequate washrooms, changing rooms, and nursing rooms.
Fear of speaking up
The process was initially met with resistance. A committee member reveals how the heads of unions and a few production houses were perturbed to even meet members of VoW and would state that there was no exploitation and that the working conditions were being taken care of.
“In Malayalam cinema, the movement gained traction because the triggering incident had happened to a leading actress, and other prominent actresses [Revathy, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal, and others] put their might behind it,” Ms. Jhansi says.
In comparison, most prominent women acting in Telugu cinema are reluctant to speak up for fear of being sidelined. 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 since film units consider me an activist and fear that, on set, I might make things tough for them,” she says.
WhatsApp groups and complaint boxes set up at the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce and a few production houses have received a few complaints, but Ms. Jhansi says that women still hesitate to take the legal route.
Guidelines needed
Director Nandini Reddy says that if the Telangana government were to publish the report and frame guidelines in cognizance of women’s groups and legal bodies, it would pave the way forward. “If any actress or technician comes forward to take the legal route, she should not be shamed. We lost momentum and significant time due to the pandemic, but hopefully, a framework of guidelines can now be put in place.”
Since the Sri Reddy allegations and the #MeToo movement, however, Ms. Reddy feels that things have taken a turn for the better in Telugu cinema. “There are a few more prominent female producers and heads of the department. The new generation of directors also come with a different working dynamic and are keen to make the workplace equitable. There have been times when men say that they have been manipulated. To avoid such situations, we have been suggesting that auditions be conducted transparently, in a public space, in the presence of a few women. The working system has to be conducive for both women and men.”
