The Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) has constituted an 11-member Internal Committee (IC) under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act, days after the Karnataka State Women’s Commission wrote to the Bengaluru district administration criticising the Chamber for failing to form such a panel. The committee, headed by filmmaker Kavitha Lankesh, aims to address issues of sexual harassment within the Kannada film industry.
The committee includes prominent members such as actors Pramila Joshai, Sruthi Hariharan, state coordinator of Karnataka Sexual Minorities Forum Mallu Kumbar, KFCC president NM Suresh, women’s rights activist Vimala KS, journalist Muralidhar Khajane, playwright Shashikant Yadahalli, producer Sa Ra Govindu, and lawyer Rajalaxmi Ankalagi.
The Women’s Commission had earlier intensified its efforts to ensure compliance with the PoSH Act, issuing a 15-day deadline on September 16 for the KFCC to form the IC or provide valid reasons for its failure. Despite the KFCC seeking multiple deadline extensions, the commission escalated the matter to the district administration on November 28.
The push for an IC in Sandalwood—as the Kannada film industry is popularly called—follows the revelations from the Hema Committee report on the Malayalam film industry, which exposed widespread sexual harassment and poor working conditions. The findings sparked demands for similar oversight in other regional film industries, including Kannada cinema.
Efforts to establish a PoSH committee have faced resistance within the Kannada film industry. Some women participants at the meeting organised by the Women’s Commission reportedly struggled to voice their concerns, with several claiming they were silenced during discussions.
The KFCC’s earlier communications to the Women’s Commission, including a letter dated September 18, sought deadline extensions but failed to present a detailed action plan for ensuring the safety, rights, and welfare of women in the industry.