#Metoo in Mollywood: Malayalam actor Baburaj has become the latest Kerala film artiste who faces allegations of sexual misconduct. On Monday, a junior artiste accused the senior actor of sexually assaulting her at his home in Aluwa.
Rejecting the allegations, Baburaj, an office bearer of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), suspected that vested interests in the film industry were behind them.
Actor Baburaj, known for his villainous movie roles, claimed that the allegation was an attempt to prevent him from becoming the general secretary of AMMA, replacing Siddique, who had resigned on Sunday amid similar charges.
The junior artiste claimed that she had been called to actor Baburaj's residence on the pretext of discussing a movie. However, upon arrival at the Aluva (Ernakulam district) home of actor Baburaj, she allegedly found only Baburaj and his assistant present, contrary to his claim that a director, scriptwriter, and production controller would also be there.
The artiste told News18, that she was verbally and sexually assaulted by Baburaj when she was resting in a room, where the latter barged into. “He (actor Baburaj) gave me a room to take rest. However, after a while, he knocked at the door. When I opened the door, he got into the room and closed the door.”
“He gave me a room. Later, he invited me for food. When I opened the door, he entered the room and locked it from inside. He started talking vulgarly (sic) and led me to the cot and raped me,” the woman told Indian Express.
"I didn’t complain to anybody then because he’s a famous actor and I didn’t have support from anyone,” the woman told the news media.
In a shocking revelation, she also noted that in the Malayalam film industry, women are often asked to make ‘adjustments’ in order to ‘secure’ roles. “I have no other intention since I have left the industry and am living with family outside Kerala,” the woman added.
The Malayalam film industry has spiralled into an allegedly unsafe space for female artists after the Justice Hema Committee report made shocking revelations of physical, verbal, and sexual harassment.
The fallout from the report intensified on Monday as more female actors stepped forward with disturbing accounts of mistreatment at the hands of their male counterparts, further inflaming Kerala's political and cultural landscape.
Actress Minu Muneer, who has appeared in a handful of movies, levelled sexual abuse allegations against actor-turned MLA M Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Idavela Babu.
On Sunday, director Ranjith also resigned from his post as Chairperson of Kerala Chalachitra Academy, after Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused him of misconduct.
