KOCHI: Filmmaker Aashiq Abu resigned from the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) Directors' Union on Friday, just a couple of days after criticising the leadership over its stance on the Justice Hema Commission report regarding sexual exploitation in the Malayalam film industry. The director also accused FEFKA General Secretary B Unnikrishnan of having a 'hypocritical' position on the issue.
In his resignation letter, Aashiq Abu detailed the difficulties he has faced with the union since 2012.
“I became a member of FEFKA in 2009 and was subsequently elected to its executive committee. Despite several attempts on my part, the federation did not intervene when I encountered monetary issues with a producer. Not only did they fail to intervene initially, but they also began demanding a 20 per cent commission from half the amount I later received through their intervention. I found this highly unjust and had a verbal argument with director Sibi Malayil about it. Due to his persistence, I eventually submitted a cheque for Rs 10 lakh to him. He returned the cheque, likely fearing it would cause further issues. However, I later learned that two scriptwriters were also forced to pay the commission to the federation,” he wrote. Abu also reiterated his criticism of the organisation’s stance on the Hema Commission report in his letter.
