Why Aashiq Abu Has Called For B Unnikrishnan’s Removal From FEFKA

The recently released Hema Committee Report has created quite a stir in the South film industry. The Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) has demanded that the sexual abuse perpetrators mentioned in the Hema Committee Report should be exposed. The issue was raised as a form of statement, ahead of FEFKA’s executive committee meeting scheduled from September 2 to 4. After the statement, director Aashiq Abu, who is also a part of FEFKA, slammed the federation general secretary B Unnikrishnan for his hypocritical stand on the Hema Commission report. He claimed that B Unnikrishnan controls the association with a feudal grip and was accused of supporting the cine artist in the past, contrary to his statement issued for the Hema Committee Report. He urged the Kerala government to remove him from the film policy panel.

Director Aashiq Abu further said that the statement was issued without consulting the other FEFKA members. “I don’t have issues with FEFKA, but I disagree with the functioning of the association under the leadership of B Unnikrishnan. The government should see through his hypocritical stand and remove him from the film policy panel,” said Aashiq Abu as quoted in a report.

Apart from Aashiq Abu, filmmaker Vinayan also urged the government to remove B Unnikrishnan. He said that a person who had been guilty of anti-competitive practice should not be included in such a committee. In 2020, the Supreme Court rejected the plea submitted by the trade organisations and individuals found responsible for the violation of provisions of the Competition Act.

In the statement issued by FEFKA before the scheduled meeting, the federation has sought to release the names of the sexual abuse perpetrators in Malayalam cinema mentioned in the Hema Commission report. In a detailed statement on Wednesday, FEFKA called the report an important blueprint in the Malayalam industry. The association also stated that it has taken into account the gravity of the incidents mentioned in the report.

“We are aware of the criticism against the silence we maintained on the issue. We do not want to issue empty, fancy statements but recommend strong action and policies that will bring about a huge change within the industry,” the statement read.