A junior artiste in the Malayalam film industry has accused award-winning actor and director Baburaj of rape, adding to the flood of sexual abuse complaints against senior Mollywood figures, sordid details of many of which were revealed in the Justice Hema Committee report last week.
The report - which includes shocking stories of abuse - was submitted to the Kerala government in 2019 but made public only now, after clearing legal challenges from film industry members.
Speaking to NDTV on condition of anonymity the young woman said she had been lured to Baburaj's home in Aluva in Kerala's Ernakulam district on the pretext of discussions, with other directors, over a possible film role. She said she was then verbally abused and sexually assaulted by the 58-year-old.
"He called me to his house... saying screenwriters and directors were coming to discuss my role. I believed him and went... There he showed me room to rest and, after some time, called me to dinner. I had locked the door. When I opened it he barged inside, locked it again and raped me."
Baburaj, the Joint Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors, or AMMA, has denied the charges and, according to media reports, has declared he will initiate legal action against his accuser.
He also claimed the allegation was an attempt to prevent him from replacing actor Siddique, who also faces sexual assault charges and who resigned Sunday as the General Secretary.
READ | Malayalam Actor Siddique Files Complaint Over Sex Assault Claim
The woman said she did not immediately file a complaint but, a year later, approached police in Ernakulam, where a senior cop - whom she identified as "Sasidharan sir" - advised her to file a FIR.
However, she said she could do so then as she was abroad with her husband.
She told NDTV, though, she does intend to file a complaint with the SIT.
"A DIG-rank (Deputy Inspector General) police officer called me... she was from the SIT. I told her I will file a FIR when I return," she told NDTV, adding she expects to be back in Kerala this week.
"I am hoping for justice," she said, "... because I think the SIT will act sincerely."
The young woman also told NDTV she is not alone in facing sexual assault, abuse, and harassment from senior Kerala film personalities, and called on the centre and state governments to work together to ensure a safe space for women in this and other film industries.
"The government should take action against those guilty of sexual abuse and harassment. Incidents like this are increasing daily and women who have suffered this harassment need support."
And, in a heart-breaking plea, she also called on AMMA, which claims "empowering women" among its organisational goals, to live up its claims and create a safe space for women in Mollywood.
The young woman is far from the only person to have made sexual assault complaints.
READ | "Hugged, Kissed Me": Malayalam Actor To NDTV On Sexual Abuse
Another actor, Minu Muneer, has accused prominent actors M Mukesh and Jayasurya, as well as two others, of physically and verbally abusing her on the sets of a movie in 2013.
"I had a bitter experience while shooting... I went to the restroom and when I came out, Jayasurya hugged me and kissed me without my consent. I was shocked and I ran out," she told NDTV.
Maniyanpilla Raju, one of those accused by Ms Muneer, has called for an investigation into the allegations, claiming multiple vested interests are behind the accusations.
In another incident, the same actor said she approached AMMA Secretary Idavela Babu for a membership application. She said he called her over to his flat where he physically abused her.
READ | High-Profile Resignations, Political Fallout: What's Going On In Mollywood
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, under severe scrutiny, announced a seven-member SIT to probe all sexual assault charges. That has not, however, stopped the predictable avalanche of political attacks from the opposition BJP and the Congress-led United Democratic Front.
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