In a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA), expressed disappointment in the Hema Committee’s work, stating that it did not involve experts from all walks of the industry. The letter was sent in response to the Committee’s report on women’s working conditions in Malayalam cinema, which underlined gaping payment disparity in the industry based on gender, among other findings.
The Hema Committee, which was constituted by the Kerala government, was headed by retired High Court judge K Hema. The three-member Committee also had thrice national award-winning veteran actor Sarada and retired bureaucrat KB Valsala Kumari. After the release of the redacted version of the Committee report on August 19 to RTI applicants, the KFPA expressed commitment to address the issues raised by it. But on September 6, the Association wrote to CM Pinarayi Vijayan, arguing that the main issue of payment disparity cannot be solved in a creative industry like cinema.
“The idea of equal pay for women and men in creative roles such as acting, directing, screenplay writing, cinematography, and editing is entirely impractical. That argument is naive because the payment in these fields is determined based on market value and creative excellence. It is entirely within the producer's discretion,” the letter said.
The KFPA argued that equal pay for women and men for other roles such as art, makeup, costume, and dubbing has been in place for many years now. It also said that there can be no reservation for women and that their entry to films must be organic.
The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), and several female actors including Parvathy Thiruvoth have been emphasising pay parity, which is not the same as equal pay, citing how female actors are sometimes paid one-tenth as much as their male counterparts. WCC has also been pointing out that in the absence of clarity, various ways are used to gatekeep and underpay women. The findings of the Hema Committee report also reveal that sexual favours are sought from aspiring female actors even before they are cast in films, making it taxing for women to pursue a career in cinema.
The KFPA’s letter also stated that the Committee’s recommendation to form an independent tribunal to resolve complaints is unclear because Internal Complaints Committees (IC) are already functional on film sets.
The Committee had found that in a power-centric workplace like the film industry, ICs may not be effective since those with an upper hand can put the lives of survivors at risk.
After the report became a point of discussion, many survivors came out in the open with allegations of sexual assault and FIRs have been filed against some prominent names in Malayalam cinema, including actors Siddique, Maniyanpilla Raju, Jayasurya, and director Ranjith, among others.