After Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce cancelled its existing work agreement with Dancers’ Association, the Kannada Cinema Workers' Federation (KCWF) or Cine Workers Union has sent letters to each dancer requesting they enroll with the Federation at the earliest.
K S Ravindranath, secretary, KCWF, said. “We have been handed a deadline of June 28, by KFCC, to provide dancers for film shoots. Right now, we are in the process of registering members of Dancers’ Association with KCWF. Among them are senior choreographer Madan, his wife Harini and daughter Hime, who have snapped ties with Rajesh Brahmavar. Many dancers have followed suit.”
Meanwhile, the Federation issued an advertisement on Monday inviting talented dancers to join it. “Our first preference is for dancers who are already working in the industry because it is a matter of their livelihood. Equally important to us is our responsibility to provide the industry with dancers, as and when required, from June 28 onwards. If we fail to do so, we may lose out on job opportunities because producers won’t wait that long, they will start looking elsewhere to fulfill the needs of their film projects. Such a situation will have multiple effects. From those who handle travel needs, to beauticians, costume designers, all who have been depending on the industry for the past 25 to 50 years will be affected,” Ravindranath said.
The Federation is expecting to shut registrations by June 27. Ravindranath said, “Our letter clearly explains why dancers need to join the Federation. We are planning to hire around 50 to 60 dancers as well. Brahmavar and few executive committee members took wrong decisions, but we must ensure all are not harmed by them.”