A day after Neeraj Madhav’s Facebook post, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) has sought an explanation on the actor’s statements about power hierarchies operating in Malayalam cinema.
FEFKA General Secretary B Unnikrishnan has written a letter to the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), requesting Neeraj to ‘be more forthright’ about his statements.
This is because FEFKA cannot directly issue a letter to the actor as an individual and can only bring it up with AMMA, the artists association of which Neeraj is a member, Unnikrishnan told TNM.
“He has mentioned a production controller and other people in his post on power lobbies in the industry. However, his allegations are not specific. If he gives us details about people who spoke or behaved in such a manner with him, trade unions like ours can intervene and resolve it. Neeraj also hinted that there are lobbies in Malayalam cinema. He has to provide specific details on such complaints,” Unnikrishnan said.
Since Neeraj is a member of AMMA, he can approach the association and offer the details to the body. AMMA can then provide the same information to FEFKA, he added.
“Otherwise, if Neeraj gives names of people, FEFKA and AMMA representatives can invite both parties for a discussion and resolve the issues. Either way, it is the responsibility of trade unions to ensure that such lobbies do not exist,” Unnikrishnan explained.
Neeraj’s Facebook post stated that a production controller had told him about the ‘unwritten rules in Malayalam cinema’ and asked him to follow the rules to survive in the industry.
“A famous production controller once told me that there are some ‘unwritten rules’ in Malayalam cinema and that it would do me good if I followed them. I didn’t know what he meant then. But looking back at the six years I spent in the industry, I remember having broken many of these rules. I have had to face the repercussions too,” he wrote in his Facebook post.
The 30-year-old actor, who starred in the Amazon Prime Video series Family Man, said that powerful lobbies operate in the industry and that a certain ‘section of people were actively colluding to nip young and growing talents in the bud’.
“If you sit cross-legged or even wear sunglasses on the sets, you might be considered arrogant. If you happen to give your opinion on the script, it is treated as interference,” his post reads. He added that even casual statements from younger actors are misinterpreted by a few people who are judgemental.
Neeraj wrote about the issue on Facebook after actor Sushant Singh Rajput's demise triggered similar debates in Bollywood.
Read about the actor’s post here: Actor Neeraj Madhav opens up about power hierarchies in Malayalam cinema