Hema Committee impact: Actress Minu Muneer accuses 4 actors of sexual abuse

After the shocking revelations made by the Hema Committee report, actresses in the Malayalam film industry are getting emboldened enough to come forward to narrate their tales of sexual harassment at the hands of actors.

In a key development, actress Minu Muneer took to Facebook to accuse four actors, including M Mukesh and Jayasurya of sexual harassment.

The allegations levelled by Muneer come a day after filmmaker Ranjithstepped down as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy and actor Siddique resigned from the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) after allegations were made against them.

The allegation

Muneer in a post on Facebook alleged that she suffered a series of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of four actors, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raji, Idavela Babu and Jayasurya, an advocate named Chandrasekaran and a production controller in the industry.

"In 2013, I was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by these individuals while working on a project. I tried to cooperate and continue working, but the abuse became unbearable. As a result, I was forced to leave the Malayalam film industry and relocate to Chennai,” she said in the post.

Further, Muneer said she had spoken about the abuse in a newspaper article and is now seeking justice and accountability for the trauma that she suffered.

“I request your assistance in taking action against them for their heinous actions," she wrote in the post. What's more, she wrote in the post that she was accused of not making "adjustments" when she spoke up about the abuse.

In an interview with NDTV she narrated her ordeal claiming that while she was coming out of the toilet, Jayasurya hugged her from behind and kissed her without her consent. “I was shocked and I ran out," she said in the report, adding that the actor offered her more work if she was willing to be with him.

In another incident, the actor had approached Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) secretary Idavela Babu for a membership application. But she was called to his flat on the pretense of applying for a membership of the film association and she accused him of physically abusing her.

Actor Maniyanpilla Raju, who is one of the actors accused by Muneer, demanded an investigation into the allegations. He claimed that multiple vested interests are behind the accusations and that some people are trying to capitalise on the situation." According to Raj, there will be innocent and guilty parties among the accused and therefore, a comprehensive investigation is necessary.

Meanwhile, as more skeletons are tumbling out from the closet, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a high-level meeting with senior police officials on Sunday and announced the establishment of a seven-member special team to investigate the atrocities faced by women actors.

The Justice Hema Committee, which made its report public recently, has revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, prompting calls for action against the guilty.