More skeletons are tumbling out of the #MeToo closet, with the movement exposing Kannada cinema too. Though this is not the first instance of such revelations being made, there has been no public debate or outrage.
Raghu Dixit’s is just a very recent revelation. Two weeks ago, a hair dresser in the Kannada film industry accused a make-up chief of sexually harassing her and complained to FIRE — Film Industry for Rights and Equity, an 18-month-old association formed to make this industry safe especially for women. In fact, FIRE came into existence even before the #MeToo movement hit the film industry.
In August, Jayashree, an upcoming actor, spoke about casting couch in Kannada cinema and accused a film-maker of harassing her.
In July, Kannada actor Dharma was accused of sexual harassment and the police filed an FIR against him.
The dark side of Sandalwood was laid bare recently when a local television channel carried a sting operation to uncover the trend of casting couch. Well-known Kannada film-makers and producers were caught on camera luring young girls with a promise of roles in their films. Krishi Tapanda of Big Boss fame recently alleged that she had lost opportunities in Sandalwood after refusing to comply with sexual favours sought. Ms. Krishi also said that she had refused an offer from Tollywood, just because of some people seeking “favours” for an opportunity.
Avantika Shetty of RangiTaranga and Rajaratha fame also made a revelation on how she had been subjected to harassment by the makers of a Kannada film.
Multilingual actor Shruti Hariharan stirred the hornet’s nest recently by sharing her experience on how she was subjected to casting couch during a media house conclave on ‘Sexism in Cinema’. This is what she said during an interview: “I was 18 and I was going to do my first Kannada movie perhaps. I was so scared and petrified that I remember running back crying. I went to my choreographer and told him what had happened. He looked into my eyes and said if you cannot handle such situations, you should back off.” She then rejected the film.
Neha Patil, another upcoming actor, had accused a producer of asking “favours” through his production manager. Harshika Poonacha, during a media interaction, said that her manager said a firm “no” to intermediaries seeking favours on behalf of film-makers.
Harassment to women in various forms is as old as Kannada cinema and umbrella bodies of Kannada film industry have failed to address the issue “objectively”. Hence, a group of cine artists headed by Priyanka Upendra, Chetan Ahimsa and others legally registered FIRE in mid-2017.
Mr. Chetan, who graduated in gender studies from Yale University, is leading FIRE from the front. Its bylaws dictate that the president must be a woman, and at least 50% of the Internal Complaints Committee members should be women. According to Mr. Chetan, it is the responsibility all members of the industry to acknowledge harassment as a reality and find means to set things right.
Film-maker and actor Roopa Iyer, who is a part of FIRE, is discussing with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce to create an Internal Complaints Committee as directed by the Supreme Court. “KFCC president Chinne Gowda has promised to create it,” she said.
