Women from Telugu film industry want release of 2022 report on harassment after crisis in Malayalam film industry

Leading female actors, producers and directors of Telugu films are urging the Telangana government to publish a two-year-old report on sexual harassment in the industry. This would be a first step towards creating a safe working environment.

The Movie Artistes Association and the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce are also reportedly discussing how to tackle 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 with the Hema Committee’s revelations about sexual exploitation in Malayalam cinema. The statement attracted attention when it was shared on social media by actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu and others.

“We welcome the Hema Committee report and applaud the sustained efforts of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) in Kerala, which has paved the way to this moment. The Voice of Women was formed in 2019 following the WCC. We urge the Telangana government to publish the submitted report of the sub-committee on sexual harassment, which can help formulate government and industry policies to create a safe working environment for women in the Telugu film industry,” the statement said.

Delayed report

The 235-page Hema commission report on 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 need for investigations into other language film industries.

A similar investigation was conducted into 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 filed sexual harassment allegations and staged a protest outside the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, which made everyone look up. However, she was soon shamed and banned by the Movie Artistes Association. However, her allegations had opened a Pandora’s box of widespread sexual harassment in the industry and it became difficult to sweep the issue under the carpet.

VoW was formed then as a support group, with a few prominent women producers, directors and actors coming forward with the intention of cleaning up the system. “VoW was not born out of a government mandate. It started as a collective support group for women in film, 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, one of the founders 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 various industry stakeholders on the issue since 2018. VoW members began by holding discussions with production houses and unions to set up internal grievance committees, but felt that more action was needed.

High committee

A public interest litigation filed by the joint action committee of the Telangana Women’s Organisation prompted the state government to set up a high-level committee (HLC) under the Department of Cinematography. It also included members from the departments of Labour, Human Rights and Women and Child Welfare, along with the state police. Later, a sub-committee was formed with members from civil rights associations and voluntary organisations.

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 held between July 2019 and March 2020, and again 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 craft councils — including the apex body of the trade 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

“The denial of entry points for work is a pressing issue,” said Ms. Jhansi, explaining how unions that are supposed to function as welfare organisations have become gatekeepers, demanding hefty registration fees of up to a few lakh rupees, for which there are no receipts. “They make women vulnerable. It remains a problem for women make-up artists to get a union card. They only get a hairdresser’s card,” she said. Women art directors and junior artists also face difficulties.

“The key word (or euphemism) for sexual favors used to be ‘engagement.’ Since the #MeToo movement, predators have changed their communication, but the problem persists,” says Ms. Jhansi. It was suggested that auditions be held in public spaces, in the presence of other women.

Exploitation also extends to wage parity; young performers are often denied transportation or are underpaid in their fees. Film departments have also been urged to provide better working conditions for women, such as adequate toilets, dressing rooms and nursing facilities.

Fear of speaking

The process initially met with resistance. A committee member reveals how union leaders and some production houses were reluctant to even meet with VoW members and would declare that there was no exploitation and that working conditions were taken care of.

“In Malayalam cinema, the movement gained traction because the incident that sparked it happened to a leading actress, and other prominent actresses (Revathy, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal and others) lent their power behind it,” Ms. Jhansi said.

In comparison, most prominent women in Telugu cinema are afraid to speak out for fear of being sidelined. Ms. Jhansi cites her own career as an example. “I quit being a TV presenter years ago and cinema is my livelihood. But I get very few opportunities because film units see me as an activist and are afraid that I will make things difficult for them on the sets,” she says.

WhatsApp groups and complaint boxes have been set up at the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce and a few production houses have received a few complaints, but Ms Jhansi says women are still reluctant to take the legal route.

Guidelines needed

Director Nandini Reddy says if the Telangana government were to publish the report and come up with guidelines with women groups and legal bodies in mind, it would pave the way forward. “If an actress or technician comes forward to take the legal route, they should not be shamed. We have lost momentum and a lot of time due to the pandemic, but hopefully a framework of guidelines can be put in place now.”

However, since Sri Reddy’s allegations and the #MeToo movement, Ms Reddy feels that things have changed for the better in Telugu cinema. “There are a few more prominent women producers and department heads. The new generation of directors also have a different work dynamic and want to make the workplace more fair. There have been instances when men have said that they were manipulated. To avoid such situations, we have suggested that auditions be held transparently, in a public space, with a few women present. The work system should be conducive to both women and men.”