On Monday, several female actors in Kerala publicly named at least five more male actors as part of the ongoing MeToo movement in the Malayalam film industry, which has gained momentum following the release of the Justice Hema committee report last week.
The Kerala government responded by forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by top IPS officers to investigate these allegations. This comes in the wake of prominent figures like actor Siddique and director Ranjith stepping down from their respective positions—Siddique from an actors’ body and Ranjith from a state-run film body—after being named in the accusations.
The Ernakulam North police have filed a first information report (FIR) against director Ranjith under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), following a complaint by a Bengali actress. This charge pertains to an incident from 2009 and was filed under the IPC rather than the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) due to the timing of the allegations.
The Hema committee report revealed widespread systemic sexual harassment and abuse in the industry, including the dominance of an all-male power structure and the lack of basic facilities like toilets and changing rooms for women on film sets. On Monday, new allegations surfaced as a female actor accused M Mukesh, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Maniyanpilla Raju, and a production controller named Noble of sexual abuse.
Another junior actress accused Baburaj, a prominent actor and joint secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), of sexual abuse. She claimed that Mukesh, a CPI(M) MLA and senior actor, demanded sexual favors in exchange for AMMA membership during the filming of “Calendar” in 2009. She alleged that after she refused his advances, he threatened her and physically abused her during the shooting of “Nadakame Ulakam.”
The actress also accused Jayasurya of groping and forcibly kissing her on the set of “De Ingottu Nokkiye” in 2008. Additionally, she alleged that Raju and Babu both knocked on her hotel room door at odd hours, seeking sexual favors in return for AMMA membership.
Mukesh, Jayasurya, and Babu have yet to respond to these allegations, while Raju has denied them but welcomed an investigation. He suggested that there might be ulterior motives behind the accusations. Siddique, who resigned from AMMA following similar allegations, has also claimed the charges against him are part of a “publicity stunt” and has requested an investigation into what he believes is a hidden agenda.
In response to these developments, Congress and BJP workers held protests outside Mukesh’s residence in Kollam, demanding action and his removal from a government-appointed panel responsible for formulating film industry policies. Congress MP Shafi Parambil criticized the government for allowing an accused actor to be involved in policy-making, questioning the administration’s commitment to addressing the serious issues raised by the Hema committee report.
Director-screenwriter Ranjith also resigned from his position as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy following allegations of inappropriate behavior with Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra in 2009. Mitra has since filed a complaint with the police in Kochi against Ranjith.
