Sanjjanaa Galrani proposes formation of SWAA for women’s safety in Kannada cinema. (Instagram)
Amid growing concerns over women’s safety in film industries, actor Sanjjanaa Galrani has urged the formation of an independent body focused on protecting female artistes’ rights in Kannada cinema.
The actor met with the Karnataka State Women’s Commission recently to push for the creation of the Sandalwood Woman Artist Association (SWAA). It is an organisation dedicated to addressing the safety and welfare of women in the Kannada film industry.
In an interview with ANI, Sanjjanaa Galrani emphasised the need for a dedicated organisation like SWAA to protect women in the industry.
She said, “In the Kannada film industry, we don’t have any independent body. From my foundation, Sanjjanaa Galrani Foundation, I have requested the formation of an independent body so that newcomers entering the industry are aware of their rights and understand appropriate behaviour.”
Earlier this month, Sanjjanaa Galrani also took to Instagram to call for the formation of SWAA. Through a formal letter sent to the Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce, she urged them to consider implementing several safety measures for women working in the industry.
The letter was also addressed to the Karnataka Chief Minister, Home Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and Women and Child Development Minister.
Also Read: Kannada actors call for a committee to tackle sexual harassment in industry
Proposed rules and regulations
The proposal outlined by Sanjjanaa Galrani includes a series of guidelines aimed at safeguarding female artistes.
- All new female artistes must register with SWAA and receive a unique identification number before working on a film set.
- A rule book detailing the rights and responsibilities of female actors must be distributed in both English and Kannada.
- Actresses must be educated about their rights and basic allowances.
- SWAA should be available to address any issues faced by female artistes and provide them with contact information for immediate assistance.
- Actresses should have the right to private changing spaces on set and be accompanied by a family member for night or outdoor shoots, with transportation costs covered by the producer.
- Artistes must also sign a legal agreement detailing remuneration, workdays, and other conditions before joining a project.
- Additionally, Sanjjanaa Galarani suggested that new teams offering film projects should be vetted to ensure authenticity, and warned actresses to be cautious of unknown directors or producers.
- EMI support must be offered to artistes to pay for the membership fee, in case they aren’t financially sound.
Response from Karnataka Women’s Commission
Following her meeting with Sanjjanaa Galrani, Karnataka Women’s Commission chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary responded positively to the idea.
She highlighted the legal requirement for any organisation with more than 10 women to have a Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) committee.
“This is the first time the film industry has had a meeting about forming a committee for women. A POSH committee will not hinder film production. If anyone faces harassment, they can approach the committee,” she added.
Nagalakshmi Chowdhary also confirmed that the film industry had 15 days to respond to the commission’s request to form a POSH committee.
Sanjjanaa Galrani’s call for the SWAA comes on the heels of the Justice Hema Committee Report, which exposed shocking instances of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry.
The 235-page report, commissioned by the Kerala government in 2017 and published in 2019, revealed that a small group of powerful male producers, directors, and actors dominate Malayalam cinema.
The report also detailed the exploitation and mistreatment of women and led to the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further investigate these abuses.
(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)
Related: Karnataka Women’s Commission directs Film Chamber to set up PoSH panel
