'MeToo' In Mollywood: Second FIR Registered Against Actor Jayasurya
The Cantonment police station in Thiruvananthapuram booked Jayasurya based on a complaint filed by another survivor on August 29
A second FIR has been registered against Malayalam actor Jayasurya following a complaint filed by an actress. This development comes after several women from the Malayalam film industry began speaking out about sexual harassment following the release of the Hema Committee report.
Kerala Police informed ANI, "The FIR has been registered under Sections 354, 354A(A1) (1), and 354D of the IPC. The case was initially registered in Thiruvananthapuram and will be transferred to the Thodupuzha Police Station."
Earlier, Cantonment police station in Thiruvananthapuram booked Jayasurya based on a complaint filed by another suvivor on August 29. In the complaint, the survivor alleged that she was assaulted by Jayasurya during the film shoot in Kerala Secretariat, as reported by The News Minute.
Apart from Jayasurya, she also gave complaint against six others including one against CPI(M) MLA and actor M Mukesh.
Actress Sonia Malhar On Her Experience
Meanwhile, actress Sonia Malhar on Thursday shared her experiences of mistreatment and exploitation during her early years in the industry. "I entered the industry in 2013, and after doing one or two films, an incident occurred on a film set in Thodupuzha," she said in an interview with ANI. "When I arrived on location, I noticed I was treated differently from the usual practice. The director himself came up to introduce me to the lead actor and actress."
Malhar further described a disturbing incident that occurred on set: "I was asked to go for makeup and change into my costume. They mentioned a slight change in the location, which was in an old building nearby. When I went to the toilet and returned, someone unexpectedly grabbed me. I was terrified, and he later apologized," she recounted, as per the report.
Following this incident, Malhar said she faced numerous challenges in her career. She said that she experienced delayed payments and was replaced in films after they were announced in newspapers and on TV. "After this news spread, a role that was promised to me was given to someone else," she added, highlighting the consequences she endured after refusing to remain silent about her experiences.