The abduction and sexual assault of a popular actor in the Malayalam film industry, in February, shook the state to its core. The incident resulted in various initiatives being set up, aimed at the protection of female artistes. The latest to the list is the Malayalam Cine Technicians Association's (MACTA) decision to train lady security guards for the protection of women in the industry.
"Our only concern is the protection of women in the industry," said Baiju Kottarakkara, general secretary, MACTA. "MACTA fighters' association will train 100 ladies from different districts of Kerala within six months."
"It will be an integrated training," said stunt choreographer and trainer Aasa David. "They will be trained in martial arts like judo, karate, kung fu and kalari. In addition, there will be sessions on cinema location etiquettes, languages, driving, swimming and pressure point attacks."
It will be mandated that every trainee obtain a heavy vehicle license as well as proficiency in at least four languages. On December 7, a selection trial will be held for more than 800 women from different parts of the state.
Aasa is a former judo athlete, who made her mark in the national level, and a black belt in karate. She, along with five others, has already received training as 'lady black cats'. “We have been undergoing a rigorous training routine for the past eight months,” she said.
Earlier, in May, the Malayalam industry saw the formation of a women's collective in cinema (WCC), a first of its kind in the country, to ensure gender parity and sensitisation in the cinema sets. WCC was formed in the backdrop of the actor assault. Security of artistes is one of the main concerns of the WCC. “We have informed members of the collective about this new initiative of MACTA, and they have extended their wholehearted support,” said Baiju. “We are very concerned about issues like the casting couch, which the WCC raised. This initiative is aimed at preventing any sort of attacks against female artistes.”
Baiju pointed out that this initiative would enable more women to take up the job of fight choreographers in cinema. According to Aasa, trained professionals will soon work in various film industries across the country. “We have already received offers from four Malayalam movies and three Tamil movies,” she said.
But not everybody is happy with this initiative. Malayalam film industry is highly unionised, and there is a cold war between MACTA and other major unions like Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA). Baiju alleges that rivals unions threatened Aasa to stay away from this initiative. “I got a call from a person who asked me not to cooperate with this programme,” said Aasa. She confirmed that her association with MACTA was the reason she got the call.
