Malayalam Actress Shares Her Story Of Surviving Assault And Humiliation; Seeks Justice

(Trigger Warning: The story contains details of sexual assault and harassment, which could be triggering for some readers.)

Some of the biggest names of the entertainment industry made headlines when the #MeToo movement made its way in India. What followed were endless discussions on social media and women coming out and sharing their stories of abuse and assault by men sitting at a powerful position in the industry.

Many were canceled, fired from their respective jobs, but many were re-hired and given work like no harm was ever done.

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The hypocrisy of the industry has always been bewildering and overwhelming.

Sharing one such story of abuse and harassment, a popular Malayalam actress took a brave step of telling the world her story of facing assault.

In her brave post, she also shared how several attempts were made to ¡°humiliate, silence, and isolate¡± her.

What was the case about?

FILE

The actress worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil cinema. In 2017, she was abducted and sexually assaulted. She traveled from Thrissur to Kochi in her vehicle when the abductors entered her car forcefully, drove around the city's outskirts, and assaulted her.

After the incident was reported, a case was filed against an actor:

A famous Malayalam actor who allegedly paid men involved in the incident was named a conspirator. The actor was arrested by the Kerala Police in 2017 but was later granted bail.

As soon as the case resurfaced, Kerala Police¡¯s Crime Branch Wing registered a case against Dileep and others for threatening investigating officers associated with the inquiry.

Sharing her story, she wrote:

¡°I know that I am not alone in this fight for justice. This has not been an easy journey. The journey from being a victim to becoming a survivor. For five years now, my name and my identity have been suppressed under the weight of the assault inflicted on me.¡±

Thanking everyone who stood by her and supported her through her ordeal, she added,

View this post on Instagram

¡°Though I am not the one who has committed the crime, there have been many attempts to humiliate, silence, and isolate me. But at such times, I have had some who stepped forward to keep my voice alive. Now when I hear so many voices speak up for me, I know that I am not alone in this fight for justice."

Her post gained a lot of traction and support on social media as it was the first time that she shared the first account of her experience.

The actress received support from Actress Parvathy Thiruvothu, who has always raised her voice in support and of women's rights in the industry.

Parvathy reported the post with the caption, "With you."

Geetu Mohandas, Aishwarya Lekshmi also extended support. "RESPECT."

Aishwarya Lekshmi reposted her Instagram and wrote,

"Respect the way she has conducted herself during all this, patiently waiting and never reciprocating to the various discussions going on around her. Respect her even more for showing us all there is a life beyond trauma. Adore her for not just surviving, but living her life beautifully and giving zero effs¡¯ to this world & their multiple versions of Her story."

Bollywood film director Zoya Akhtar also shared the post and wrote:

Zoya Akhtar

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