MeToo rocks Malayalam movie industry as more skeletons tumble out of closet after Hema Committee report
The Malayalam film industry has been in turmoil as the fallout of the Hema Committee report, which looked into alleged sexual misconduct in the sector. Ever since the report was published on August 19, several female actresses have come forward with claims of unwanted sexual advances by some top actors, directors, and more.
Allegations against actors, directors
So far, actors who have been named in the allegations include Siddique, Mukesh, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Baburaj. Directors Ranjith, VK Prakash, and Thulasidas have also been named in the allegations.
Two AMMA office-bearers named?
Actor Siddique was one of the first to be accused of sexual misconduct by a junior artiste, Revathy Sampath. Siddique, who was the General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), has since stepped down from his post. Another junior artiste has accused actor Baburaj, who is the Joint Secretary of AMMA, of sexually abusing her inside his residence in Kerala in 2019.
Allegations by?actress Minu Muneer
So far, the most damning allegations have come from actress Minu Muneer, who on Monday accused actors Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Edavela Babu of sexual harassment. Among them, Mukesh is a two-term and serving CPI(M) MLA from Kollam.?On Monday, actress Gayathri Vasha backed Minu Muneer and accused Maniyanpilla Raju of making unwarranted advances.?
Actress clarifies on Jayasurya?
Meanwhile, actress Sonia Malhar, who claimed that she was sexually abused in 2013 by an actor, without naming anyone, in the initial days of her career, has clarified that the person in question was not actor Jayasurya. Following her allegations, rumors had spread that the actor was Jayasurya, as the duo had worked together in a film in 2013.
AMMA goes into hiding
Amid the flurry of allegations, the AMMA, which was scheduled to hold an Executive Committee Meeting on Tuesday, has postponed it, citing the inconvenience for actor Mohanlal to attend. So far, most actors have refused to speak on the allegations against their colleagues.
Prithviraj Sukumaran breaks silence
Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran on Monday addressed the issue and said the allegations need to be treated with utmost seriousness. "If allegations have been made, thorough investigations need to be followed up with, and if these investigations lead to the allegation being proven right, there have to be exemplary punishments handed out. On the other side, if the allegations are false, even then there should be exemplary punishments. Either way, these allegations need to be treated with utmost seriousness, and I hope this is the beginning of a process that will clear up everything in front of us," Prithviraj said.
Union Minister blames media
Actor-turned-politician and Union Minister Suresh Gopi, on the other hand, accused the media of misleading the public's perception of the film industry. "This is all food for you, is what I understand. You can use it to make money. (There is) no problem with that. But these issues are before the court, and it has the intelligence and logic to arrive at a decision regarding them.
"You (media) are not only making people fight each other for your own gains, you are also misleading public perception. The complaints are in the form of allegations at the moment. What are you telling people? Are you the court? You are not. The court will decide. Let the court decide," Gopi said.
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