Mohanlal quits as Malayalam film body AMMA Chief amid 'me too' storm
- In Reports
- 09:11 PM, Aug 27, 2024
- Myind Staff
Actor Mohanlal has stepped down from his position as President of the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors (AMMA) amid a wave of sexual assault and rape allegations involving prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry, like veteran actor Siddique and filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan. Additionally, every member of the film body's executive committee has also resigned.
AMMA released a statement indicating that the executive committee had taken "moral responsibility" and disbanded itself due to the allegations made by some actors against members of the committee. The organisation also announced that an election to establish a new committee would be conducted within the next two months.
Senior figures in the Malayalam film industry are now facing sexual abuse complaints following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report last week. This report, which details numerous disturbing accounts of abuse, was originally submitted to the Kerala government in 2019 but had been kept under wraps. It was finally made public this month after overcoming legal challenges from members of the film industry.
A junior artiste informed NDTV that she was raped by him at his home in Ernakulam district in 2019, after he invited her under the guise of discussing a role in one of his films. He has denied the allegation, asserting that it is false and intended to sabotage his chances of succeeding Siddique as General Secretary of the film body.
Siddique resigned last week following a separate sexual assault allegation. He has filed a police complaint against his accuser, Revathy Sampath, who alleged that she was "sexually abused... physically and mentally."
Additionally, actress Minu Muneer has accused prominent actors M Mukesh and Jayasurya, along with two others, of physically and verbally abusing her on a film set in 2013. Muneer described a distressing incident where Jayasurya allegedly hugged and kissed her without her consent after she returned from the restroom, leaving her shocked and fleeing the scene.
Maniyanpilla Raju, one of those accused by Muneer, has called for an investigation into the allegations, suggesting that they might be driven by various vested interests.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, facing intense scrutiny, has announced the formation of a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate all sexual assault allegations. Despite this, the announcement has not halted the expected wave of political criticism from the opposition BJP and the Congress-led United Democratic Front.
Image source: Pune Mirror
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