Kochi, July 14 (PTI): A body of Malayalam film employees on Wednesday asked Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to allow movie-shooting and other related works hit by COVID-19 -induced lockdown in the State.

The Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) said in a statement that shooting of at least seven movies, including a Mohanlal-starrer directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, have been shifted from Kerala to States of Telangana and Tamil Nadu, among others. While the film employment sector has become active in the neighbouring States, such activities were not permitted in Kerala despite several requests by FEFKA and film producers, the organisation said.

"Our workers have become jobless now," it said.

Noting that there have been no hindrances for operations of other sectors like construction, the federation said the government's denial of permission to the film industry did not go well with its worker-friendly policy and sought the Chief Minister's urgent intervention in resumption of film-shoots.

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