1744 White Alto is helmed by Senna Hegde. The implementation of POSH act and Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) on movie sets has been a constant demand from WCC and an important proposal by the Hema Commission Report. The movie titled 1744 White Alto, directed by Senna Hegde, will form an internal complaints committee, arguably for the first time in Malayalam cinema. The film, starring Sharafudheen in the lead role, is produced by Mrinal Mukundan, Sreejith Nair and Vinod Divakar under the banner of Kabani Films. The makers of the movie, which is being filmed in Kasargod, have published a code of conduct that is to be followed by the cast and crew on the set. Co-producer Sreejith Nair told The Hindu that their executive producer Ambili has spoken to every cast and crew member of the movie regarding the purpose of ICC and how it can be used.
WCC members including Parvathy, Anjali Menon and Padmapriya have repeatedly insisted on the implementation of POSH act and ICC on movie sets as per the findings of Hema Commission Report, which is yet to be published by state government. “In the film industry, the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act (POSH) is yet to be implemented. Despite the mandate of courts, we as professional women in a workplace don’t get the benefits of that right as the industry doesn’t practice it. In this context, when a study has been done and the results are yet to be disclosed, and POSH is yet to be implemented, we are at a disadvantage. Through our own individual as well as collective experiences, we know that there are problems that need to be addressed. These are systemic issues. We want the findings of the commission to be officially presented. They are being held back for many reasons, but the findings of the report should be presented,” said Anjali Menon in an interview with indianexpress.com.
Hema Committee, a three member committee consisting of retired Justice K Hema, veteran actor Sharada and former bureaucrat K B Valasala Kumari, was appointed by the state government in December 2019 to study the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee collected testimonies and suggestions from women working in the industry. The committee came across shocking revelations of sexual abuse and gender discrimination prevalent in the industry. On the basis of their findings, the committee suggested many recommendations that are to be implemented on film sets which includes the implementation of POSH act and ICC. However, even two years after the committee submitted their final report to the government, the government hasn’t taken any action based on the committee report nor did it publish the report officially which attracted criticism from media and WCC alike. Many movies have since been made and released, without bothering to implement the POSH act or form an internal complaints committee to ensure a safer work environment for women in the industry. Recently Kerala Women’s Commission also joined the petition to implement POSH act on all film sets, adding pressure on the state government.
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