Dancers press for justice

An irresponsible sexual remark by a producer has triggered off a serious protest from the dancers union who have now decided to taka a path of agitation. The incident has now deflected the real issues that concern the film industry and the crisis has now escalated further.

To be precise the crisis in the Kannada film industry took to a turn to the worst. The dancers union is coming under the Karnataka cine workers union (Okkoota) and now the Karnataka film chamber of Commerce has already terminated all its agreements with the workers association.

The incident happened in the Abbayya Naidu Studio on Friday afternoon. There was the song shooting sequence of Pallakki in one of the floors of Abbayya Naidu studio. Then a group of dancers were outside the floor, when producer Yerriswamy who was in the Studio to do the dubbing work for his recent film Guna came and started speaking in deregatory langauge with the female dancers. He also made sexual remark to humiliate the dancers. Then all the dancers came out and protested against Yerriswamy.

Dancers also allege that Yerriswamy had tried to misbehave with dancers and when it was protested by other dancers flashed a sword to threaten the dancers. The incident was reported immediately to the cine workers organisation. And the dancers decided to take up the matter with the film chamber, who however did not like to intervene in the matter as the Okkoota has been de-recgnised since a week.

The dancers union has been unable to get support from the chamber and has now decided to undertake any work for the films in future unless Producer Yerri Swamy who has humiliated and sexually humiliated four female dancers apologises for his behaviour.

The dancers are also upset that the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce has not intervened in the matter despite the complaint made by the dancers union. This has seriously affected the song sequences shooting of some Kannada films like Ee Preethi Onthara and Pallakki which should have commenced immediately.

The song picturisation of the film Ee Preethi Onthara starring Sachin and produced by Channaveeraiah slotted for Sunday may not take place, as the dancers and the dance directors have decided not to go to Mangalore. Dancers are waiting for the justice till monday evening and have planned to go on hunger strike.