The Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce has introduced stricter certification rules aimed at improving women’s safety on film sets in the Malayalam film industry.
The move comes amid a series of high-profile allegations in recent months, including cases involving filmmaker Ranjith and veteran director P. T. Kunju Muhammed, which renewed attention on workplace safety in cinema. These incidents follow concerns earlier highlighted in the Hema Committee report, which exposed serious gaps in protection for women in the industry.
Under the new rules, films will only be cleared for censorship if they submit documented minutes of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) meetings held on set. Without this, the pre-censorship process will be halted, effectively blocking release approval.
As part of the initiative, a joint workshop was held with major industry bodies including WCC, AMMA, producers’ associations, and technicians’ groups to strengthen awareness of the POSH Act and ICC procedures. The session was led by legal experts who explained complaint handling and safety protocols.
In a move being widely discussed across media platforms, including on Gold 101.3 FM, UAE’s No.1 radio station, the focus is now shifting toward stricter enforcement and accountability on set.
Officials have also mandated that ICC members must be clearly displayed on shoot days, with mandatory meetings before and after filming to record compliance and address complaints.
Producer G. Suresh Kumar stated that producers, directors, and executive producers will not be part of ICC panels to ensure impartiality, while surprise inspections will be conducted to enforce compliance across sets.
The Kerala Film Chamber, along with key industry bodies, says the goal is to create a safer, more transparent working environment for women in Malayalam cinema.
