Malayalam Actor Siddique: Senior Malayalam actor Siddique resigned as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes on Sunday, a day after serious allegations of sexual assault were made against him by a fellow actress. The allegations, which have sent ripples in the Malayalam film industry, came to light on Saturday, throwing up a very damning picture of exploitation and abuse within the Malayalam film fraternity.
Actress Reveals Aftermath of Siddique’s Assault
The actress, who accused Siddique of raping her when young, recounted her horrific tale from the film industry. She had gone to a hotel room at the request of Siddique, who told her that he was going to discuss with her a film project. It had turned out to be a ploy, and he trapped and sexually assaulted her. “It was rape … He slapped and kicked me.”. I had to run from there. He is a number one criminal,” she said. The actress further disclosed that this incident led to her being boycotted from the industry and that some of her friends also faced similar experiences at the hands of influential people.
AMMA vice president Jayan Cherthala has confirmed the resignation of Siddique. He said he could not continue in his post amidst such serious allegations. This incident has also renewed the call for accountability and justice within the Malayalam film industry at a time when the Hema Committee report investigating sexual harassment in the industry was just released.
Hema Committee Report Exposes Pervasive Sexual Harassment in Malayalam Cinema
The report of the Hema Committee has blown the lid off the deep-rooted culture of sexual harassment inherent in the Malayalam film industry, ranging from the casting couch to vulgar comments by male colleagues to cases of male co-actors who have tried to break into the rooms of female colleagues. It is for this systemic change that will protect women in the industry and ensure a safe working environment.
In a similar incident, the Bengali actress Sreelekha broke her silence against the famous Malayalam director and chairperson of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy, Ranjith, who misbehaved with her in 2009 during the making of his film ‘Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha.’ Her statement further establishes how sexual misbehavior has become part of the industry.