Cinematographer-director Rajeev Ravi on Thursday said no parallel film organization is being formed by 'new-generation' artists.
"No one has even thought about such an organization and the reports in this regard are baseless," he told ManoramaOnline.
Regarding the statement issued recently by Rajeev Ravi-headed Collective Phase One (CPO), he said it was only to convey the strong support for the actress who survived the February 17, 2017 rape and assault in Kochi. The CPO statement had the support of 100 film personalities and they vowed their support to the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC).
"All those who work in cinema are our friends, not our enemies," he said.
Rumours of parallel outfit
Earlier, Mollywood was abuzz with reports that the youth brigade was forming an organization parallel to the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). A section of actors were irked by AMMA's decision to reinstate actor Dileep, accused in the February 17, 2017 attack on a young actress in Kochi.
The youth brigade draws inspiration from the overwhelming social support for the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC)'s stance in the Dileep issue. It was also assumed that the growing displeasure of the new-generation film-makers against the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) following its spat with director Aashiq Abu would prove advantageous for the new organization.
Recently, the Collective Phase One, headed by film-maker Rajeev Ravi, had issued a statement signed by over 100 film personalities, condemning AMMA’s decision to reinstate Dileep. Meanwhile, AMMA secretary Siddique said actors like Ramya Nambeesan and Prithviraj had attended the executive meeting which was convened to suspend the decision to oust Dileep. He added that they did not express any objection then.
Mutiny against AMMA
The rift in AMMA over the induction of ousted actor Dileep, an accused in the February 17, 2017 actress attack case, had taken an ugly turn recently with a new breed of actors and the Women in Cinema Collective coming out openly against the accused actor's re-induction. They had criticised AMMA's 'double standards' and said the organization was going soft on someone who was accused of harassing a woman.
In protest, at least four actresses resigned from AMMA, saying that they had been denied justice. They said there was no point in continuing with the organization. The actresses who resigned in solidarity with victim actress were Ramya Nambeesan, Geetu Mohandas and Rima Kallingal.
