The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) is set to hold a meeting with woman artists on September 16 to discuss prevalent issues, including sexual harassment, within the film industry. This follows a letter from the Karnataka State Women’s Commission Chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary, urging the KFCC to hold a meeting to address these concerns.
In her letter Nagalakshmi Chowdhary referred to Hema Committee report highlighting widespread challenges encountered by woman artists in the Kerala film industry, including sexual violence, harassment, threats, and mental distress. She stressed the need for a similar dialogue within Karnataka’s film sector.
While the KFCC President NM Suresh expressed concerns about the availability of artists due to ongoing shoots, a tentative date of September 16 has been proposed for the meeting. “September 16 has been decided as a tentative date for the meeting. On Monday, (September 9) a clear picture will emerge about the meeting,” said Suresh.
Meanwhile, the Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE) has met with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, demanding an inquiry into working conditions in the Kannada film industry, similar to the one in Kerala by the Hema Committee. Siddaramaiah has promised to convene a meeting to address these concerns.
The Kannada film industry has a history of remaining silent on a range of issues, including the hounding of lyricist and music composer Hamsalekha. In some cases, industry bigwigs and associations have actively tried to suppress attempts to seek justice.
One notable example is the case of Vijayalakshmi, who accused her actor husband, actor Darshan of domestic violence and threats in 2011. The film chamber brought in late actor Ambareesh to broker a “compromise”. Vijayalakshmi eventually backed down, but she had a condition: she wanted actor Nikitha Thukral banned from the Kannada film industry for allegedly causing trouble in her marriage with Darshan. The Kannada Film Producers’ Association complied, and banned her for three years.
Another incident involved actress Sruthi Hariharan, who accused actor Arjun Sarja of molesting her during the shooting of her film Vismaya in 2015. After speaking out, Hariharan said that work opportunities had dwindled. The film chamber attempted to mediate a "compromise" between the two, but Hariharan refused to withdraw her allegations. Arjun filed a defamation suit later.
