Malayalam movie actor and CPIM MLA Mukesh has been accused of sexual assault (File).
Thiruvananthapuram:
The #MeToo scandal that has engulfed the Malayalam movie trade for the reason that Justice Hema Committee report was launched – has its first political fallout – actor Mukesh, additionally a CPI(M) MLA, has been dropped from a state authorities panel to formulate cinema-related insurance policies.
Mukesh has been accused of sexual assault by actor Minu Muneer, who stated he and one other actor, Jayasurya, had abused her on the set of a film in 2013. Mukesh, she additionally stated, had made undesirable advances when she sought his assist to hitch the trade’s actors’ organisation, referred to as AMMA.
“There’s plenty of exploitation on this trade. I’m a witness and sufferer. After I moved to Chennai, no person reached out to me, asking me what had occurred…” she informed EDNBOX.
READ | “Hugged, Kissed Me”: Malayalam Actor To EDNBOX On Sexual Abuse
Mukesh, in a Fb publish Tuesday, denied the allegations.
Demanding a “clear investigation… to disclose the true nature of allegations mentioned within the public”, he claimed Ms Muneer first approached him in 2009 after which in 2022, when she requested for “no less than Rs 1 lakh” and her husband then demanded “an enormous sum of money”.
READ | “Reality Should Come Out…”: Kerala Actor Accused Of Intercourse Assault Claims Blackmail
“However I’m not able to give up to blackmail ways. The reality should come out… I welcome inquiries into allegations in opposition to filmmakers, together with myself,” he stated on Fb.
In the meantime, amid the flood of such allegations, veteran actor Mohanlal resigned yesterday as head of AMMA. The organisation’s govt committee additionally give up proudly owning “ethical duty”.
READ | Mohanlal Quits As Malayalam Movie Physique Chief Amid ‘MeToo’ Storm
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, underneath hearth from the opposition BJP and the Congress-led United Democratic Entrance, has arrange a seven-member SIT to probe all sexual assault costs.
READ | Mollywood #MeToo: 17 Circumstances So Far, Actor Flags Threats After Coming Out
Up to now a complete of 17 circumstances have been registered in opposition to actors and filmmakers, together with Siddique and Ranjith Balakrishnan, who has been accused of molestation by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra.
“Everybody is aware of about it (the sexual abuse and exploitation of ladies). It isn’t new… on this trade, it’s rampant. The issue is it has been normalised,” she informed EDNBOX.
The three-member Justice Hema Committee was arrange by the state in 2017 and filed its report in 2019. Nevertheless, the report was not made public until now attributable to authorized challenges from trade members.
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