The whole world might be swearing at
Dileep but his fan club members still swear by him. The members firmly believe that their beloved ‘Dileepettan’ is the victim of a conspiracy, and that he will never commit such a crime. Says Riyas Khan, chairman of the All Kerala
Dileep Fan
’s and Welfare Association, “We are 100% sure that
Dileepettan
has done no wrong, and will be with him throughout.” However, the atmosphere at the club meetings is gloomy, he admits. “Everyone is sad, but not one among us has a doubt about his innocence. We believe he has been framed,” he says.
Who could have framed him? “Dileepettan is someone who rose out of nothing. He had also formed his own association and might have refused certain directors or films. All of them might have ganged up against him. Whoever it is, is very powerful.”
Riyas had met Dileep a few weeks back, on the set of
Ramaleela
. “There was no need to discuss this issue even, as we were sure of his innocence. He had called me a few days ago and told me, ‘I have not done any wrong, so why should I fear anything?’ He sounded very confident,” says Riyas.
What about the proof unearthed by the police that goes against Dileep? “Proof can be created against anyone. Nambi Narayanan was convicted, even. There are many innocent people languishing in jails, trapped by bigwigs. Many have been found to be innocent after their sentence got over.”
Dileep has never taken advantage of them as fans, Riyas claims. “We have known him for nearly 15 years. Never has he told us to go and hoot in another actor’s movie or clap for his own. Will such a person do such a crime? The Dileepettan we know is someone who asks us to take care of our education, family and job, not to let it all go for the sake of fandom.”
The club recently had a pre-Dileep-release meeting, where they apparently expressed their solidarity with the actor. “We will welcome Ramaleela just like we have welcomed all his films.” Meanwhile, expectedly, the fans get a lot of jeering from others, especially fans of other actors, they admit. “We don’t care. It’s natural for them to take advantage of the situation. We will continue to be fans of Dileep,” Riyas signs off.