Kerala film industry women seek to define their work space

They meet CM to voice their rights

Recently, Khaleej Times reported 23 transgenders being recruited by the Kochi Metro, in a first anywhere in the world. Close on the heels of that move, perhaps, the women in Kerala film industry have formed a Collective (group) to protect their professional rights.
On Thursday, some of the leading women actors, directors and technical crew met the Kerala chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, and said they don't believe AMMA (a male dominated association of film artistes) cannot loyally represent women's rights in the rather unregulated Malayalam film industry.
Those who met the chief minister included Manju Warrier, Parvathy, Bhavana, Anjali Menon, Geethu Mohan Das, Vidhu Vincent, Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambeesan, Didi Damodaran, and Surabhi Lakshmi. The group is called 'Women in Cinema Collective'. This is the first time in the typically male bastion of the industry that women are staging a revolt.
The Collective said gender discrimination in the industry was rampant. Actor Rima Kallingal said, "Women themselves are best equipped to talk about the problems that affect them. How can a group of men represent our issues? When one of us was attacked, I would say many organizations were confused how to react. That shows their patriarchal attitude."
The incident Rima was referring to was the recent one where a popular actor, Bhavana, was dramatically abducted for a short while by her driver. 
The Collective requested the CM to set up a committee to set the matters right. The CM has agreed to the demand.
A spokesperson of the Collective said: "We need to define a work space, since we don't work inside an office. There is no redressal forum, no welfare measures, maternity benefits, complaint cell, changing rooms and restroom facilities... we have nothing. We are trying to define our work space, to define the employer-employee relationship." 
The Collective said the existing associations and bodies in the film industry do not bother to discuss important issues like wage disparity and work hours relating to women.
Rima said: "Our Constitution gives right to equality, but the remuneration that women and men get in the industry cannot even be compared. Women in cinema are not given the visibility they deserve for their work either.  We want that to change."
Film maker Anjali Menon said: "It's no longer just a lonely camerawoman or an editor, the tide is turning. There is a critical mass of women in cinema now. As more women come in, this place needs to be safer." 
The memo declares "equal rights in the film field can be achieved only by fighting" and that the Collective seeks the support of the government. 
The demands of the Collective include addressing the gender disparity in salaries, reservations for women in technical jobs in government-owned studios like Chtranjali, government welfare schemes like insurance, Provident Fund for women artistes who are forced to abstain from work due to pregnancy, awards for films that talk about gender equality, and subsidies for production crews that have 30% women.
The Collective has demanded that the government start courses to train women in the technical skills required for film making.

• India