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The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Kerala Film Policy Conclave aims to tackle long-standing issues in Malayalam cinema post-Hema Committee revelations
A decisive step towards addressing long-pending issues in the Malayalam film industry will begin on Saturday (August 2, 2025) with the opening of the two-day Kerala Film Policy Conclave organised by the Kerala government to frame a comprehensive policy touching upon all aspects of the industry. It is in a way a result of the churn witnessed in the industry after the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a popular woman actor in 2017, which led to the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) and the constitution of the Justice K. Hema Committee to study issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam film industry as per the WCC's demand. The Hema Committee report, which was published in 2024, revealed not just cases of sexual exploitation, but illegal bans, discrimination, wage disparity and in some cases, inhuman working conditions. In the aftermath of the Hema Committee report, the lack of a proper policy to address many of these issues was highlighted. The draft of the film policy, which was prepared after several rounds of meetings with the various stakeholders in the industry, will be presented at the conclave over the two days. The Department of Culture has lined up several panel discussions on various aspects of the policy, with experts from the field taking part. Although 17 other States have film policies, a good number of these do not go beyond incentives for film production. According to officials of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation, the proposed policy for the Malayalam industry will go beyond this to consider all aspects related to film production. The conclave will also address the lack of formal recognition as an industry, due to which regulations are not in place to govern most of the activities in the Malayalam film industry. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the conclave at a function to be held at Sankaranarayanan Thampi Hall inside the Legislative Assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday at 10 a.m. Actors Mohanlal and Suhasini Mani Ratnam will be the chief guests at the function to be presided over by Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian. The opening session will be on gender and inclusivity in the industry, with a focus on building equitable workplaces in the film industry and implementation of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) in sets and studios. The discussions related to other aspects will address several issues, including the lack of contractual agreements, lack of a centralised body for regulatory oversight in the industry and barriers to entering film associations and unions due to high membership fees and favouritism. Single-window system for permits Panel discussions will also focus on creation of a single-window online system for filming permits to streamline bureaucratic processes, ethical marketing practices, measures to protect against cyber threats and formulating ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in filmmaking for the future. Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan will be the chief guest at the closing ceremony on Sunday (August 3), while Mr. Cherian will present a detailed report on the sessions on both days.
India Today
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Kerala to hold film policy meet to push long-pending reforms in Malayalam cinema
The Kerala Film Policy Conclave will be held on August 2-3 in Thiruvananthapuram, marking a major step towards a comprehensive cinema policy for the event comes in response to long-standing demands from the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), which has consistently called for structural reforms in the Malayalam film industry following the submission of the Hema Committee Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the conclave, which is set to host prominent personalities from across India and abroad. Representatives from 17 Indian states that already have cinema policies will join the 500 delegates expected to The two-day event will feature panel discussions on nine major topics, with participants encouraged to share their suggestions. Public engagement sessions are also planned, and feedback gathered will inform the final for Culture Saji Cherian noted that significant groundwork has already been laid. 'We aim to create a comprehensive cinema policy. A committee was formed in 2023, and around 20 meetings were held. I don't think any other policy in Kerala's history has gone through this level of discussion, both at the individual and organisational levels. The government doesn't plan to change this framework for now. We will present it at the conclave.'- Ends
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Feminist Forum urges M.A. Baby to withdraw remark supporting Dileep film
The Kerala Feminist Forum has demanded that CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby withdraw his statement in support of the Dileep-starrer Prince and Family. Mr. Baby had reportedly praised the movie, calling it a watchable family flick with a social message. In a statement issued on Monday (May 26), the forum said that the women in Kerala and the feminist organisations in the State were alarmed at the remark in support of Mr. Dileep, an accused in the actor assault case. The final hearing in the case is still going on in the trial court. The forum's functionaries said that at a time when the activities of organisations such as the Women in Cinema Collective and the Hema Committee report had made notable impacts on society, it was condemnable that the national leader of the ruling party in Kerala was coming out in support of Mr. Dileep. They claimed that it was akin to extending support to the accused in the sexual assault case. The forum demanded that Mr. Baby withdraw his statement, or else street protests would be organised to uphold the rights of women. The signatories include activists K. Ajitha, V.P. Zuhara, Aleyamma Vijayan and A.K. Jayasree.
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Dileep remarks on lack of ‘freedom' to speak his mind for 8 years: ‘One day God will give me the opportunity'
Actor Dileep, whose film Prince and Family was released in theatres last week, indirectly spoke about the 2017 abduction and sexual assault case of a prominent female actor at the success meet. An OnManorama report states that the actor remarked on the lack of 'freedom' to speak his mind for eight years now, after being named in the case. (Also Read: Kerala Film Body gives Shine Tom Chacko final chance to correct his behaviour after Vincy Aloshious' allegations) Dileep thanked director-writer Sachy for giving him a hit with Ramleela in 2017 during trying times. He compared the success of Prince and Family to Ramleela and talked of how the filmmaker helped keep his career afloat amid controversies. He reportedly said at the event, 'For the past eight years, I have only spoken about my films. I don't have the freedom to speak about anything else. But one day, God will give me the opportunity to speak. I will wait for that day and remain quiet till then.' He also reportedly urged people to show support for the film, as many have tried to 'pull him down' in the last few years. In 2017, a prominent Malayalam female actor was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a gang of men in a moving car as she was returning home from a shoot. A few months later, the investigating team arrested Dileep after the main accused claimed the assault was ordered by the actor. He secured bail after spending 83 days in jail. The case partly contributed to the Women in Cinema Collective and the formation of the Hema Committee, and the subsequent report that exposed abuse in Mollywood. In April this year, the Kerala High Court turned down a petition by Dileep for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case as it found no merit.
Business Mayor
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
Change of script in God's own country, and she's liking It
That statement might confuse North Indian readers who have grown to admire Malayalam cinema's persistent exposes of patriarchy and have been asking why present-day Hindi cinema fails to replicate the thoughtfulness and acute observation powers of Uyare, Sara's, The Great Indian Kitchen, Ullozhukku, and similarly insightful contemporary Malayalam films. Bear with me. Feminichi Fathima is set in a Muslim home where the wife is burdened by her joyless, despotic, fanatical husband's diktats. Appuram deals with a non-conformist nuclear Hindu household that has broken away from an upper-caste extended family, which disapproves of a woman's decision to marry a man of her choice and considers menstruating women impure. Victoria's eponymous Christian heroine navigates her job at a beauty parlour with clients from varied socio-economic backgrounds, while at home, her father reacts violently to her inter-community romance. These are entertaining films that examine patriarchy with the depth and fearlessness Malayalam cinema is known for. This is the great irony of the Malayalam film industry: when it dives into gender-related issues, it does so better than any other film industry in the rest of India, and takes up subjects that most filmmakers elsewhere in the country either have not noticed, or are too afraid to touch. Yet – and this is a big 'yet' – the percentage of Malayalam films with female protagonists is abysmally small. The number of female directors is even smaller. In fact, the empathy pervading the best of Malayalam cinema tends to overshadow the sad reality that the worst of Malayalam cinema lionises masculinist toxicity as unabashedly as commercial cinema of all Indian languages. Film industries tend to be microcosms of the societies from which they emerge. The Malayalam film industry, thus, reflects the state in which it is based: Kerala, respected for decades for its consistently high literacy rate, progressive government-run social welfare programmes, laudable sex ratio, and other impressive statistics matching the most developed countries in the world, yet also a deeply patriarchal this land of contradictions, the pushback against patriarchy is as strong as patriarchy itself. Most significantly, the one-of-its-kind Women in Cinema Collective has been campaigning for equality in the Malayalam industry since 2017, while women of India's remaining film industries have largely been bullied into silence after the MeToo wave of 2018. The skewed gender ratio in Kerala's filmmaking business has slightly improved too, with the likes of Sophia Paul, Sandra Thomas, Rima Kallingal, writer-director Anjali Menon, and a handful of others emerging as producers in the past decade or so. The past five years have also witnessed a steady stream of noteworthy new female directors. They include Ratheena PT, who helmed the excellent Puzhu starring Mammootty and Parvathy Thiruvothu; Indhu VS, who made the poetic 19(1)(a) with Nithya Menen and Vijay Sethupathi; and Kunjila Mascillamani, whose Asanghadithar was the standout short in the anthology Freedom Fight, in addition to Indu Lakshmi and Sivaranjani. Malayalam cinema is still a long way from a day when women routinely headline Empuraan-sized extravaganzas. But it's clear that change, even if minimal, is afoot in God's Own Country.
