B Unnikrishnan, director and general secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), recently discussed the findings of the Justice K Hema Committee report. Talking to Matrubhumi, he denied the existence of ‘power groups’ in the Malayalam film industry but admitted that the casting couch exists. 

‘It’s undeniable that strong alliances exist’

Talking to the publication, Unnikrishnan said that it was an ‘undeniable fact’ that some production houses had ‘strong alliances’ with certain directors, writers and actors to make big films.

“They often work together on several projects back-to-back, and naturally, everyone tries to align themselves with them to get opportunities. However, such alliances are based on commercial interests. But there cannot be a secret lobby of different cinema-related organisations which decide who should be isolated; the industry will not be able to function,” he said, stating that such alliances weren’t confined to the Malayalam film industry alone.

Unnikrishnan also said that denying casting couch exists in Mollywood would be ‘denying reality’. He said, “Claiming that there is no casting couch in Malayalam cinema would be ignoring reality. Instances of casting couches in Malayalam cinema have been seen and heard about many times. This issue exists in every industry. We should take a stand against this practice in Malayalam cinema. While we might wish for a perfect, utopian future, achieving that ideal is very challenging.”

Director Vinayan previously challenged Unnikrishnan’s position in FEFKA, writing to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan about it. He did so on the grounds that the Competition Commission of India had penalised Unnikrishnan for unfair trade practices.

Mohanlal, Mammootty finally react

After days of silence, actors Mohanlal and Mammootty finally reacted to the findings in the Hema Committee report. Mohanlal held a press conference on Saturday, requesting people to not ‘kill the Malayalam film industry’ and stating that he had not ‘run away’ anywhere. This comes after he resigned from his post as president of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Artistes) without making a statement. Mammootty also claimed that he stayed mum so far because he wanted AMMA to speak about it first.

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