#MeToo: Film body says bring to ‘our notice first’

The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) is upset that women from the industry are making allegations of sexual harassment at the workplace without bringing the matter to its notice.

With the Kannada film industry facing its own #MeToo movement, the KFCC has decided to ignore accusations raised outside of its purview. KFCC president S A Chinne Gowda said women must air their grievances with the industry body’s internal complaints committee.

He told DH on Monday: “We have our own committee to deal with such cases. Let them air their grievances here. Seniormost actors, directors and producers are part of this committee. We will ensure they get justice. If they are not happy with our decisions, they can fight through other means.”

Gowda said there was no point involving the KFCC after sidestepping it. “We will stay away from these matters,” he added.

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The KFCC’s stand comes days after actress Sruthi Hariharan made an explosive allegation of sexual harassment against her co-star Arjun Sarja during the shoot of Kannada film ‘Vismaya’.

Her Facebook post and media interviews have left the industry deeply divided. While some supported her, others stood by Sarja.

The KFCC’s former president Sa Ra Govindu echoed Gowda and said artistes must not bypass the industry body while raising complaints. “The KFCC has a history of resolving many such problems. In the past, people brought things to our notice and we resolved them. But nowadays, we get to know about an issue only through the media,” Govindu told this newspaper.

According to him, if the KFCC fails to resolve any issue, things go to veteran actor Ambareesh for adjudication. “Not a single problem was left unresolved after going to Ambareesh,” he said.

“I don’t know why people prefer talking by other means and show disrespect to the KFCC.”

Meet on Thursday

Still, the KFCC’s Kendra Sandana Samithi will meet on Thursday afternoon to decide on the matter. Senior actors, actresses, directors, producers and distributors are part of this Samithi, Gowda said.