CPM, CPI fight filmmakers’ war

The polls are over in Kerala. But alliance partners CPI(M) and CPI refuse to end their fight over seat-sharing. The new arena is a row between movie technicians.

A week after a group of technicians disrupted the shooting of a Mammootty-starrer in Alapuzha, Citu and Aituc — trade unions affiliated to the CPI(M) and CPI respectively — have sided with the warring factions.

If Aituc threw its weight behind the Malayalam Cine Technicians’ Association (Macta), Citu vows to protect shooting of films by the nascent Film Employees’ Federation of Kerala (Fefka).

The stunts began when Macta members took out a march to the location of Daddy Cool, starring Mammootty. Similar disturbances were witnessed at the Bodyguard shoot.

The agitators alleged union members were denied jobs by certain producers and directors who broke away to form Fefka last June. While Aituc workers, led by a CPI MLA, helped organise the protesters, a Citu-affiliated union decided to give protection to the film crew. “Disrupting shooting is not acceptable,” Indian Film and TV Employees Forum vice-president Zakeer Hussein said in Kochi on Wednesday.

Activists of CPI(M)’s youth wing DYFI, came to guard the super star, a party sympathiser, from the protesters. “Attacking actors are unwarranted,” CPI(M) district secretary Gopi Kottamurikkal said.  Macta secretary Vinayan said, “This strike is not against Mammootty. A section of producers is trying to undermine the trade union. They are denying jobs to members of our union.”