Actor Vishal had announced on October 13 that Nadigar Sangam would be setting up a three-member probe committee to look into sexual misconduct and harassment allegations that have cropped up in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement that has gripped India, The South Indian Artistes Association (Nadigar Sangam) has announced that it would be setting up an Internal Complaints Committee.
A Special Working Committee meeting of Nadigar Sangam was convened by President Nasser and Treasurer Karthi on Monday. A press release stated, “Although there are Sangam laws to safeguard the rights and self-respect of our members, a legally-mandated ‘Vishaka committee’ will be constituted.” The ICC will be a neutral body, comprising mostly women, including a psychologist, according to the statement.
Additionally, the Nadigar Sangam also urged the Tamil Film Producers Council (TPFC) to set up a redressal mechanism to address the conflicts that arise during shoots. They requested TFPC to include Film Employees Federation of South India and the Tamil Nadu Film Director’s Association in the redressal body.
This announcement follows the #MeToo movement where several prominent artistes were accused of harassment, including National Award-winning lyricist Vairamuthu. Other celebrities from the Tamil film industry who have been accused are singer Karthik, actor Radha Ravi, actor TM Karthik, actor John Vijay, director Susi Ganesan, actor Arjun Sarja and actor-producer Thyagarajan.
Following these allegations, General Secretary of the Nadigar Sangam and TPFC President, actor Vishal had announced on October 13 that they would be setting up a three-member probe committee to look into the matter. He had then said, “We are forming a three-member committee for all bodies i.e. Nadigar Sangam, FEFSI, TFPC, and Film Chamber. It is a platform to make sure women are safe and to ensure unity in the industry.”