Malayalam film actor and CPIM MLA Mukesh has been accused of sexual assault (File).
The #MeToo scandal that has engulfed the Malayalam film industry since the Justice Hema Committee report was released - has its first political fallout - actor Mukesh, also a CPI(M) MLA, has been dropped from a state government panel to formulate cinema-related policies.
Mukesh has been accused of sexual assault by actor Minu Muneer, who said he and another actor, Jayasurya, had abused her on the set of a movie in 2013. Mukesh, she also said, had made unwanted advances when she sought his help to join the industry's actors' organisation, called AMMA.
"There is a lot of exploitation in this industry. I am a witness and victim. When I moved to Chennai, nobody reached out to me, asking me what had happened..." she told NDTV.
READ | "Hugged, Kissed Me": Malayalam Actor To NDTV On Sexual Abuse
Mukesh, in a Facebook post Tuesday, denied the allegations.
Demanding a "transparent investigation... to reveal the true nature of allegations discussed in the public", he claimed Ms Muneer first approached him in 2009 and then in 2022, when she asked for "at least Rs 1 lakh" and her husband then demanded "a huge amount of money".
READ | "Truth Must Come Out...": Kerala Actor Accused Of Sex Assault Claims Blackmail
"But I am not ready to surrender to blackmail tactics. The truth must come out... I welcome inquiries into allegations against filmmakers, including myself," he said on Facebook.
Meanwhile, amid the flood of such allegations, veteran actor Mohanlal resigned yesterday as head of AMMA. The organisation's executive committee also quit owning "moral responsibility".
READ | Mohanlal Quits As Malayalam Film Body Chief Amid 'MeToo' Storm
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, under fire from the opposition BJP and the Congress-led United Democratic Front, has set up a seven-member SIT to probe all sexual assault charges.
READ | Mollywood #MeToo: 17 Cases So Far, Actor Flags Threats After Coming Out
So far a total of 17 cases have been registered against actors and filmmakers, including Siddique and Ranjith Balakrishnan, who has been accused of molestation by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra.
"Everyone knows about it (the sexual abuse and exploitation of women). It's not new... in this industry, it is rampant. The problem is it has been normalised," she told NDTV.
The three-member Justice Hema Committee was set up by the state in 2017 and filed its report in 2019. However, the report was not made public till now due to legal challenges from industry members.
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