Karnataka: Amid growing demand for accountability and transparency in the Kannada film industry, a group of actors and social activists from Karnataka, led by social activist Vijayamma and actors Chethan Ahimsa and Sruthi Hariharan, on Wednesday met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and advocated the formation of a committee to investigate sexual harassment and abuse within the industry. Their demand is similar to the Justice Hema Committee in Kerala, which was set up to address similar issues in the Malayalam film industry. The demand has received the support of Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE), a prominent industry body in Karnataka. FIRE has sought a government-backed committee to investigate and report on harassment and exploitation faced by women in the Kannada film industry. It wants a retired judge of the High Court or Supreme Court “who has demonstrated a strong commitment to gender justice in his years of service” to be appointed to head the committee. Incidentally, FIRE has played a key role in setting up India’s first film industry Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), advocating for victims of sexual harassment.
“We believe that more comprehensive measures are needed to create a safe and equitable work environment for all women in the industry,” the letter said. They also submitted a formal letter to CM Siddaramaiah, urging him to take prompt action. The initiative is primarily inspired by the findings of the Justice Hema Committee in Kerala, which exposed widespread sexual harassment and poor working conditions for women in Malayalam cinema. The Hema Committee report, made public through the RTI Act, revealed shocking allegations of abuse that drew attention to the dark side of tinsel town. Several notable Kannada film personalities, including Chaitra J Achar, Samyuktha Hegde, Hitha, Sudeep, Chethan Ahimsa, Diganth Manchale, Ramya, Kiran Srinivas and Kishore, have also raised their voices to the growing demand for a similar inquiry committee in Karnataka. Apart from Karnataka, the Telugu and Tamil film industries have also demanded investigations into sexual harassment and exploitation of women in their respective industries, highlighting the widespread nature of the issue in South Indian cinema.
