A total of 17 cases have been registered in connection with sexual harassment allegations that have shaken the Malayalam film industry and led to the dissolution of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists or AMMA. Several film stars and filmmakers are likely to be questioned.

The latest complaint has been filed by actor Sonia Malhaar, who has alleged that an actor molested her on a film set in 2013. The actor has lodged a complaint with the Special Investigation Team formed by Kerala government to tackle the ‘#MeToo’ storm in the film industry. She has urged media not to link actor Jayasurya to her allegations.

Actor Minu Muneer, who had earlier accused actors M Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju and Idavela Babu of harassment during filming movies, has now said she is getting threat messages after speaking out. Last evening, she posted the screenshot of a threatening message she received on social media. The SIT probing the matter will record her statement soon. 

READ: “Hugged, Kissed Me”: Malayalam Actor To NDTV On Sexual Abuse By Co-Stars

In a conversation with NDTV, Ms Muneer had shared her chilling experience. “I had a bitter experience while shooting for a film. I had gone to the toilet and when I came out, Jayasurya hugged me from behind and kissed me without my consent. I was shocked and I ran out,” she said, adding that the actor offered her more work if she was willing to be with him.

The actor also alleged that former AMMA secretary Idavela Babu called her over to his flat on the pretense of helping her get an AMMA membership and physically abused her.

She also alleged that actor Mukesh, MLA of the ruling CPM, has denied her the membership after she turned down his advances.

“There is a lot of exploitation in the Malayalam film industry. I am a witness and victim. When I moved to Chennai, nobody reached out to me, asking me what had happened?” she told NDTV.

Responding to the charges, Mukesh has welcomed a thorough investigation to clear his name. He has claimed that Muneer sought financial assistance form him in the past and tried to blackmail him. “This group, which has been persistently blackmailing me for money, has now turned against me at this opportune moment,” he said. The actor has, meanwhile, been dropped from a government panel to formulate film policy. 

Watch: Actor Sreelekha Mitra Speaks To NDTV

Among the other actors who have spoken out is Bengali film actor Sreelekha Mitra, who has accused film director Ranjith of molestation. Speaking to NDTV, Ms Mitra agreed that harassment of women is an open secret in any film industry. “Women actors should learn to say no. They are insecure about the job. They think If I say no, someone else will say yes. The system is such that you have to comply or let go,” she told NDTV. “Everyone knows about it. It’s not something new. In this industry, it is rampant. The problem is it has been normalised.”

READ: Mohanlal Quits As Malayalam Film Body AMMA Chief Amid ‘MeToo’ Storm

Last evening, Malayalam film industry’s top decision-making body AMMA took moral responsibility and dissolved itself “in light of allegations made by some actors against some of the committee”. Prominent actor Mohanlal stepped down as president of the panel.

The flood of allegations against some of the top faces in the Malayalam film industry come against the backdrop of the public release of the Justice Hema Committee report last week.

The 235-page report, published after redacting names of witnesses and the accused, notes that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by 10-15 male producers, directors, and actors.

The three-member Justice Hema Committee was set up by the state government in 2017 and submitted its report in 2019. The report was not made public so far due to legal challenges to its release.

The #MeToo scandal that has engulfed the Malayalam film industry since the Justice Hema Committee report was released – has its first political fallout – actor Mukesh, also a CPI(M) MLA, has been dropped from a state government panel to formulate cinema-related policies.

Mukesh has been accused of sexual assault by actor Minu Muneer, who said he and another actor, Jayasurya, had abused her on the set of a movie in 2013. Mukesh, she also said, had made unwanted advances when she sought his help to join the industry’s actors’ organisation, called AMMA.

“There is a lot of exploitation in this industry. I am a witness and victim. When I moved to Chennai, nobody reached out to me, asking me what had happened…” she told NDTV.

READ | “Hugged, Kissed Me”: Malayalam Actor To NDTV On Sexual Abuse

Mukesh, in a Facebook post Tuesday, denied the allegations.

Demanding a “transparent investigation… to reveal the true nature of allegations discussed in the public”, he claimed Ms Muneer first approached him in 2009 and then in 2022, when she asked for “at least Rs 1 lakh” and her husband then demanded “a huge amount of money”.

READ | “Truth Must Come Out…”: Kerala Actor Accused Of Sex Assault Claims Blackmail

“But I am not ready to surrender to blackmail tactics. The truth must come out… I welcome inquiries into allegations against filmmakers, including myself,” he said on Facebook.

Meanwhile, amid the flood of such allegations, veteran actor Mohanlal resigned yesterday as head of AMMA. The organisation’s executive committee also quit owning “moral responsibility”.

READ | Mohanlal Quits As Malayalam Film Body Chief Amid ‘MeToo’ Storm

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, under fire from the opposition BJP and the Congress-led United Democratic Front, has set up a seven-member SIT to probe all sexual assault charges.

READ | Mollywood #MeToo: 17 Cases So Far, Actor Flags Threats After Coming Out

So far a total of 17 cases have been registered against actors and filmmakers, including Siddique and Ranjith Balakrishnan, who has been accused of molestation by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra.

“Everyone knows about it (the sexual abuse and exploitation of women). It’s not new… in this industry, it is rampant. The problem is it has been normalised,” she told NDTV.

The three-member Justice Hema Committee was set up by the state in 2017 and filed its report in 2019. However, the report was not made public till now due to legal challenges from industry members.

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