Kerala govt in a tight spot and who will bag AIADMK contract? | Powertrip #68

Published on:

27 Aug 2024, 5:16 pm

This issue of Powertrip is open for all to read. For access to all issues of Powertrip, subscribe to TNM.

In this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM and NL subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, Pooja Prasanna, and Nidheesh MK, we look at the continued fallout of the release of the Hema Committee report with new perpetrators being named daily. While the en masse resignation of the leadership of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) might have solved one headache, the Kerala government seems to have another, more problematic issue to deal with. We also heard about two campaigns on WhatsApp in the inner circles of the Malayalam film industry, one from women and another from men, in response to the Hema Committee report. Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, hectic parleys are going on to decide who will manage the AIADMK’s election strategy ahead of the 2026 state polls.

Inside Track

Exclusive stories, for your eyes only

Kerala govt’s cinema conclave faces hurdles

The CPI(M)-led Kerala government is relieved. After many women from the Women in Cinema Collective and others spoke about their apprehensions about sitting across the table from people in the industry who have been named in the Hema Committee report, the cinema conclave that the government had planned for November had hit some serious bumps. Ministers we spoke to said that the government hadn’t anticipated that the issue would blow up so much and that women would queue up to name their alleged harassers. The government was finally assured by office members of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) on August 26 that they will resign. This meant that the government would not have the headache of involving the current AMMA leadership in the conclave.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) faces another tricky dilemma – what to do about actor and party MLA M Mukesh, who has been accused of harassment by at least three women. The situation is even more complicated because Mukesh is part of the policy-making committee for the film industry. This puts the government in a tight spot, as they have to figure out how to address these serious allegations while balancing the power dynamics within the industry. Two sources we spoke to in the CPI(M) say that even in Mukesh’s case, the government was caught on the backfoot and had not expected women to name him. There are those in the party who think Mukesh continuing in the film policy committee, and even as an MLA, has become untenable.

Whisper campaigns after Hema Committee report

In the aftermath of the Hema Committee report release, there are two whisper campaigns doing the rounds in the Malayalam film industry’s WhatsApp circles. On one side, women aligned with AMMA are quietly being told that the whole naming-and-shaming thing should be put on hold. The thinking? The next names to come out could be of much bigger stars, leading to revelations that could potentially cause the industry to ‘suffer’. They think the consequences so far are enough, and contend that people in the industry have already ‘learned their lesson’. “Should we take it too far?” they ask.

Meanwhile, in the men’s circles, there are plans to bring out the so-called “souvenirs” some have kept – basically, material they have saved to blackmail and intimidate women who might potentially out them, or some of the industry’s biggest names, as perpetrators.

Who will bag AIADMK contract for Tamil Nadu polls?

As the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election inches closer, political consultancy firms are making a beeline for parties in the state, with many flocking to the AIADMK. Party chief EPS has zeroed in on two of them – Showtime and I-Pac. During a recent executive committee meeting, he hinted to party leaders that he’s in talks with companies “bigger than PK,” referring to the well-known strategist Prashant Kishor.

Meanwhile, I-Pac has already pitched its plans to the AIADMK for managing its poll strategy. Word on the street is that I-Pac has even started recruiting for a Tamil Nadu project. Could this be a sign of things to come?

Zero Hour

A political story of public importance

What a brutal crime in a Kolkata hospital reveals about the dangers women doctors face in India

They battle threats to their safety every day, from poor infrastructure to insufficient security and predatory superiors.