As per the code of conduct in cinema industry, there should be employment contracts for all film employees at all levels, specifying the film title, employer and employee details. Check full report.
Kerala has launched investigations into rape allegations involving several prominent stars from the Malayalam film industry. This development follows a resurgence of the #MeToo movement, ignited by the release of the Justice Hema Committee Report, which exposed a culture of sexual exploitation in Kerala’s entertainment sector. The allegations began surfacing after the Kerala High Court ordered the release of the five-year-old report, originally commissioned after the 2017 abduction and sexual assault of a leading female actor. The report was authored by a panel examining women’s safety in the film industry.
On September 7, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), who played a key role in pushing for the investigation, proposed a Cinema Code of Conduct to address these ongoing issues, seeking feedback from the public and industry insiders alike. The WCC on their social media page said, “To rebuild the Malayalam film industry as an equal and safe workspace for all, we are commencing a series today with our proposed recommendations. We hope all industry members will come together in open solidarity and spirit to adopt a Cinema Code of Conduct that will help transform our film industry onscreen and offscreen for the better. Stay tuned!” read the post.
What is Cinema Code of Conduct?
As per the code, there should be employment contracts for all film employees at all levels, specifying the film title, employer and employee details. The contract should specify the remuneration and payment terms, work profile, work term and the nature of credits that will be provided. The proposal states that the remuneration, terms, duration and credits should be specified in the contract. Temporary employees also need contracts. The WCC also wants to disclose the name of the film and the details of the employer and employee. Earlier, the committee suggested the need to implement the 2013 Posh Act against sexual harassment and prevent gender discrimination, biased interactions and sexual harassment.
The WCC, which has for years been fighting for the release of the report, had earlier said in a note: “The order that breaks the long and disappointing silence indeed gives hope to all of us who have been relentlessly striving to break through.” It added that suggesting implementation of solutions without revealing the findings was an exercise of mockery of the system. “We strongly believe that this move (by the SIC) to reveal the findings with accountability can be an authentic basis for real solutions, change, and process,” the WCC noted.
The version of the report now available to the public has been heavily redacted to protect the privacy of those who deposed, with all identifiers, including the names of the perpetrators, removed. The report, however, has since emboldened many women in the industry to publicly share their traumatic experiences, triggering another #MeToo wave in Kerala.
Kerala Police have so far registered FIRs against 11 people, ten of which are from the film industry based on the complaints from women. Those who have been booked include actors Mukesh, Nivin Pauly, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpilla Raju, directors Ranjith and VK Prakash, and production executives Vichu and Noble. Actor Baburaj, directors Tulasidas and VA Shrikumar Menon have been named in complaints too, but no FIRs have been registered against them so far.
Meanwhile, the special investigation team of seven police officials, of which four are woman IPS officers, are currently taking statements from those victims who have come forward with their complaints but are yet to question the accused. The Kerala High Court has decided to constitute a special bench with a woman judge to hear the cases related to the Justice Hema Committee report.
