A case has been registered against Malayalam filmmaker and producer B Unnikrishnan based on a complaint by producer Sandra Thomas. She has accused Unnikrishnan of causing her to lose opportunities in the film industry and publicly humiliating her. Unnikrishnan has also been the general secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) for years. The case, which also names producer Anto Joseph as the second accused, was registered at the Ernakulam Central Police Station following a court order.
Sandra Thomas alleges that the public humiliation occurred during a discussion regarding compensation for her work on the film Joothan. She tells TNM, “For the film, our production team had made an agreement for a certain amount and Bhadran sir [the director] wanted more. So we agreed to back out of the project but with compensation for all the work we had done so far. It was at this meeting that B Unnikrishnan yelled at me in the presence of others, saying that he will have me ousted from the film industry. The film chamber's general secretary has admitted to hearing this outburst.” Unnikrishnan has however denied ever taking part in a meeting with Sandra in a television interview with Reporter TV.
Last November, Sandra was expelled from the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) after she spoke out about the challenges faced by women producers in Malayalam cinema. Her comments came in the wake of the Hema Committee report—a government-commissioned investigation from 2017 aimed at addressing issues faced by women in the film industry. A redacted version of the report was released in August 2024, which prompted Sandra to criticise the male power group in Malayalam cinema that comprised producers, directors and actors and about the poor treatment towards female producers. She was subsequently expelled from the Association citing "continued indiscipline".
Actors, producers and directors part of Malayalam cinema power group: Sandra Thomas
"I know that Unnikrishnan had put pressure for my removal. Other members of the association have told me about it," Sandra says. Anto Joseph, the second accused in the case, has also been responsible for her losing opportunities in cinema, she alleges.
The case against Unnikrishnan has now been registered following a court order, she adds.