Jeo Baby, the award-winning Malayalam movie director and maker of highly impactful films such as The Great Indian Kitchen and Kaathal – The Core, has often focused on the plight of women in his movies while also sensitively portraying themes that need mature handling. Talking about the impact of the Hema Committee report in this exclusive interview, he says the industry will now become more professional and organised. He believes that the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) was run as a club so far and it will be forced to change its approach from now on.

The Hema Committee report has primarily pointed out sexual atrocities against women, the presence of the casting couch and an industry power group. But it has also talked about inequality on the sets and lack of professionalism. As a leading Malayalam movie director what’s your take?

Let me try to explain. I have never signed an agreement or contract before doing a movie. Everything depends on mutual trust and friendship. We don’t have associations with proper trade union characteristics. Agreements are just verbal in nature. That’s how things run here. While this is good as long as nothing goes wrong, it can get ugly if there’s a dispute. While there are various associations in the industry, they exist to solve problems once they get created. In the absence of a pre-written contract, there are no legal violations but only violation of trust.

Let’s take the case of assistant directors. Many of them work for six months or even one year on some of the movie projects. Sometimes they are promised a payment of ₹1 lakh but they often do not receive any remuneration. You are supposed to be a producer friendly assistant director. This means not pestering the producer for any remuneration. If it comes in well and good, otherwise the best bet is to move on. Complaining to any association will only earn the assistant director the label of a trouble maker. The same is the case with any junior artist.

Do you foresee positive changes within the Malayalam movie industry, now that the Hema Committee report has been tabled?

Yes. I expect a certain degree of professionalism now. The industry will become more organised. This is not just good for the artists and directors but also for the producers in the long run. I anticipate greater equality on the sets from now on. Let me give you an example. Peanut/groundnut chikki is available on all sets. Most units have 100-125 workers but only 20-25 of them are supposed to have access to the sweets! Here it’s not about costs. The chikkis are inexpensive. But it’s a system of inequality that allows only the senior most people to have them. These are issues that we can solve in one sitting but we haven’t done it. Now that the Hema Committee report is out in the open, more people are likely to complain about various aspects and those responsible will be forced to act on them.

Going forward can we expect more professionalism in the industry?

I see this moment as a turning point. Not just in the movie industry, I expect to see changes in all workplaces. There’s going to be greater gender equality on the sets. Issues of class/status differences will be taken up. Junior artists, hopefully, will now be treated with more respect. Overall, there will be better work spaces and we’ll have to thank the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) for all this.

So, that’s the true essence of the impact created by the Hema Committee report.

Yes, I would like to think so. It’s about ensuring safety and equality in the workplace. Earlier, whenever a complaint arose, they would be covered up. Even though there’s an internal complaints committee, people from the industry were afraid to approach them. All that will change now.

I also hope to see more contracts being signed. Legal agreements should become commonplace, so that matters can be viewed legally (for instance casting agreements). These are some of the changes that I foresee.

President of AMMA, Mohanlal, has resigned from the association along with other executive committee members. The association needs a new leadership now. Do you think the new generation of leaders will be able to handle the affairs of the association better?

It’s to be seen how the new leadership (if that happens) responds to allegations. How they take up the various matters in a professional manner, how they treat issues legally and refine the approach towards complaints will decide on the success of the association in future. AMMA was run as a club. Now, it will have to take the shape of a democratic union.

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