Kerala’s film industry has been rocked by sexual abuse allegations against prominent male stars following the release of a landmark report by the Hema committee. The report, detailing issues like poor working conditions and widespread sexual harassment faced by women in Malayalam cinema, has sparked a wave of resignations and police complaints.
Celebs Accused Of Sex*al Harassment
- On Monday, Kerala Police filed an FIR against filmmaker Ranjith following a complaint by Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra. She accused him of inappropriate touching with sexual intent after inviting her to act in the 2009 film Paleri Manikyam.
- Actor Revathy Sampath accused veteran Malayalam actor Siddique of mental and physical assault, alleging it happened when she was 21. She noted that Siddique initially contacted her on Facebook, calling her “Mole,” a term for a young girl in Kerala.
- Actress Minu Muneer has accused prominent actors M Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, and minor actor Idavela Babu of sexual abuse. Additionally, a junior artist has accused actor Baburaj of sexual assault.
- Seventeen cases have been filed over sexual harassment allegations so far.
Resignations
- On Tuesday, Mohanlal and the entire executive committee of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) stepped down, citing “moral responsibility” in response to the allegations.
- Additionally, following the release of the Hema Committee report, AMMA general secretary Siddique resigned amid sexual assault allegations. Joint general secretary Baburaj is also facing similar accusations, though Baburaj has dismissed these claims as a plot by industry insiders to block his appointment as AMA general secretary.
- The entire executive committee of the film body has also resigned.
AMMA Dissolved
The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) was dissolved on Tuesday after a redacted 235-page report by the Justice Hema committee was released, sparking numerous allegations against industry figures. The association cited actor complaints against committee members as the reason for its dissolution.
