In the aftermath of the Hema Committee report that exposed widespread sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry, women’s bodies in other film industries have demanded that similar committees be established to address the issue of women’s workplace safety.  

But the Karnataka State Women’s Commission’s suggestion to set up an internal committee under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act for the regional film industry has met with strong opposition from male actors and producers. In a recent meeting held in Bengaluru, members of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce opposed the move, arguing that it is unnecessary and could lead to “financial losses”. 

The News Minute’s Pooja Prasanna spoke to filmmaker Kavitha Lankesh on what transpired in the meeting, the pushback in the Kannada film industry over forming the PoSH committee, and incidents of sexual harassment within the industry.

Watch.

This report was republished from The News Minute as part of The News Minute-Newslaundry alliance. It has been lightly edited for style and clarity. Read about our partnership here and become a TNM subscriber here.

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