KOCHI: The bane of hidden cameras has come to haunt the caravan industry after actor Radhika Sarathkumar made such a revelation, raising concerns about the possibility of many more instances of illegal filming of actresses in the privacy of these vehicles.
At the same time, caravan owners and the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) drivers’ union have refuted the allegations. “Rest assured, all caravans provided to the production unit are safe and secure. All care is taken to ensure that actresses’ security is not compromised. To ensure that, we only send well-vetted drivers and cleaners with the caravan,” FEFKA Caravan Drivers’ Union general secretary Anish Joseph tells TNIE.
He says only FEFKA drivers’ union members are allowed to drive these caravans. “We are very particular about safety issues since we deal with film stars. Hence, we only have drivers who have received clearance from the police.
Besides police clearance, drivers have to produce affidavits from panchayat ward members and municipal councillors to validate that they live in those areas. In addition, the drivers themselves have to give an undertaking that they have never used nor ever will use or deal in banned products,” Anish says.
He also points out that after some issues associated with drivers and caravans were brought to the notice of the union, it was decided to create a separate section to handle things associated with caravans.
“Since we would be dealing with both drivers and cleaners, it became important to create a separate FEFKA KCDU Caravan Section within the union. This was done for better monitoring of the functioning of the caravan section. It has been just two years since the separate section was formed,” he says.
There are 36 registered drivers under this section. “We have been strictly adhering to the guidelines drawn up by the union. However, it should be noted that there are a group of drivers contracted by the caravan owners’ association who haven’t registered with the union and they pose a threat since there is no one to monitor their behaviour. It is said that the caravan in the incident reported by the actor was one driven by a driver not associated with the union,” Anish says.
The caravans are rented on a daily basis and the driver paid daily wages, he says. “A driver under FEFKA’s union commands a wage of Rs 850 per day. It might so have happened that the driver in the alleged incident was hired from outside for a lower wage. This happens sometimes,” he says.
Hence, the union has not been able to ascertain whose vehicle it was or who the driver was, he says. “But if it comes to light that the driver associated or the owner of the caravan is someone associated with the union, strict action will be taken,” Anish says.
The caravan rented by FEFKA or the production units have to be driven by registered drivers, he stresses.
“To ensure that even the cleaners are the ones cleared by the police, we will be coming up with new guidelines in the union’s upcoming meeting on September 3. We will also discuss various measures to deter the installation of hidden cameras in caravans,” he adds.
As to the question of actresses showing reluctance henceforth in using caravans, Vinod, a caravan owner, says, “Since the caravans are contracted by the production unit, such an issue may not crop up. It should be noted that the drivers we provide have police clearance.”
At the same time, he admits the incident has dented the image of the sector. “People will, of course, be wary of using caravans. But a solution to all those issues will be arrived at a meeting set to be held on September 6,” he adds.