Malayalam actor Baburaj accused of sexual harassment
After the Hema Committee report came out, one after another high profile people’s misdeeds are coming to light in the Malayalam film industry. Surprising names are constantly emerging from the South’s film industry. So far, only actresses were reported to have misbehaved. Now a junior artist has made serious allegations against the popular actor.
After Malayalam film industry director Ranjith and actor-producer Siddiqui, now a junior artiste has accused Malayalam actor-maker Baburaj of sexual harassment, after which the film industry has once again become controversies. The actor alleged that the incident took place at Baburaj’s house in Aluva, where he was called on the pretext of talking about the role. According to the junior artiste, when she reached the actor’s house, only Baburaj and his assistant were present, while Baburaj told her that the film’s director, story writer and production controller would also be present at his house.
Baburaj accused of rape
Through the MeToo movement, this junior actor in the Malayalam film industry has accused award-winning actor and director Baburaj of rape, leading to a flood of sexual harassment complaints against several big names in Mollywood, many of whom are implicated in the scandal. Hema’s case came up in the report of the committee.
While speaking to NDTV, the woman, on condition of anonymity, said that she was lured to Baburaj’s house in Aluva in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on the pretext of discussing roles in the film with other directors. She said that 58-year-old Baburaj spoke to her in offensive terms and sexually abused her.
Called home to roll discs
The woman said, “He called me to his house and said that screenwriters and directors were coming to discuss my role. I believed him and left. There he showed me a room to rest and after a while he invited me for dinner. I had locked the door. I opened the door and he came in. Then they locked the door and raped me.”
Baburaj, joint secretary of the Malayalam Movie Actors Association, has denied the allegations and, according to media reports, has said that he will take legal action against his accusers. He also claimed that the allegations were a way to prevent him from replacing actor-producer Siddiqui. Let us tell you that actor-producer Siddiqui resigned from the post of general secretary after being accused of sexual harassment.
An FIR was not filed for a year
The junior artiste said that he did not file a complaint immediately but after a year he approached Sasidharan, a senior police officer in Ernakulam district. He advised the woman to lodge an FIR.
“I hope for justice”
She said, “I could have filed an FIR when I was abroad with my husband, but the intention was to lodge a complaint with the SIT. A DIG rank police officer called me. He was from SIT. I told him that I will lodge an FIR when I come back. I hope for justice, as I think the SIT will act honestly.”
The woman also said that she is not the only woman to face sexual harassment, abuse and harassment by big film personalities in Kerala and urged the central and state governments as well as the rest of the film industry to make it a safe place for women. The woman said, “The government should take action against the perpetrators of sexual exploitation and harassment. “Such incidents are on the rise and women suffering from this harassment need to be supported.”
