Are women safe? South Indian film frat gropes in the dark post Dileep’s arrest

It’s a case that has shocked the entire South Indian film fraternity; one that would put even the most filmy crime thrillers to shame. After months of speculation and dilly-dallying, Mollywood superstar Dileep was finally arrested by the Kerala Police on Monday, for his alleged involvement in the abduction and assault case of a leading actress that rocked the film fraternity in February 2017.While there were murmurs about Dileep’s possible involvement right from the beginning, he had vehemently denied it and said it was all a conspiracy against him. Now, the actor’s arrest, and the police’s claim that they have 19 pieces of evidence against him, has left the Malayalam film industry in a state of shock; those who supported him all this while are now left hanging their heads in shame.
How Dileep went from hero to villain: a quick recap
While Dileep, who has been charged under Section 120(B) of IPC (criminal conspiracy), was remanded to a 14-day judicial custody on Tuesday morning and taken to a jail in Aluva, his hometown, speculations are still rife about why he would get involved in such a murky crime. Social media has been churning out a meme a minute, while new stories are surfacing about his motive behind the crime. An industry insider, on condition of anonymity, reveals, “It is a case of revenge. It goes back to the time when he was having an affair with his now wife, Kavya Madhavan. It’s an open secret in the industry that he was mad at the assault survivor and held her responsible for causing a rift in his marriage (to Manju Warrier). The survivor who was a close friend of the couple was the one who ratted out to Manju about his affair with Kavya, and that had him seething. This looks like a plot that was hatched long ago.”
Why are Vishakha Guidelines not applicable in the film industry, ask women
Shock and anger apart, this incident has led the women folk of South Indian cinema to ponder about real issues like women’s safety, sexual harassment and their rights in general. In fact, in May, around 25 women — comprising Mollywood actors, directors, scriptwriters, singers and editors — joined hands to form Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), a first-of-its-kind in India. The members had met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to submit their demands regarding gender discrimination in cinema, asking for laws against sexual harassment at the workplace and formation of complaint committees as stipulated in Vishakha Guidelines and The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2013. The CM had promised to form a committee to study gender issues in Malayalam film industry.
Reacting to his arrest, members of WCC say the realisation that a person from within the industry masterminded the crime is actually a matter of pain and fear for them, and that they hope that it’d be a reason for the industry to finally acknowledge the issue of sexual abuse. Says Sajitha Madathil, a member, “There have been similar incidents in the past, but they were reduced to funny stories to be discussed at film get-togethers. Why wasn’t there a space for women to bring up a sexual abuse complaint in the film associations? With this incident, at least it has now been proven that the scenario in cinema is festering beyond imagination. When such incidents took place earlier, instead of passing on the cases to the police, they brought things to a compromise.” referring to actors like Mohanlal and Mammootty, who kept mum all along, she added, “Their refusal to acknowledge the issue is frightening. It is only when you acknowledge something that you can address it and cleanse things. Let’s hope this incident becomes a reason for change.”
Film associations and stars who vouched for dileep or kept mum, now do a volte face
Foreseeing the impact, various film associations including AMMA, FEFKA and the Kerala Producers’ Association, of which Dileep was a senior official, has revoked his membership and condemned his involvement in the case. This comes just weeks after AMMA members had expressed their full support to the actor. Senior actors, too, had either chosen to stay silent, or said they’d stand by both Dileep and the actress, as they are both ‘children’ of the association. Now, the very same actors have quickly sided with the survivor. At an emergency meeting convened at Mammootty’s residence, young stars including Prithviraj, joined him and Mohanlal, who said they’ll always stand by the victim. Others in the industry have also called for new blood in the associations. “Let the movie organisations like AMMA and FEFKA be headed by youngsters, the way it’s done in the Tamil film industry. Let them be the vanguard and usher in a change that would also give a makeover to this industry so desperately needs,” says a new-gen filmmaker, on condition of anonymity.
Kerala in no mood to forgive; footfalls in theatres take nosedive
It’s not just Dileep’s films that would come under the cloud as the entire industry will have bear the brunt of his act, say industry experts. Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce official and filmmaker Anil V Thomas says, “There’s been a sudden loss of confidence in the film industry and that’s evident from the footfalls in the theatres, which are lower than expected. This would continue for another two months before the industry recovers and wins back the audience’s trust.”
Supporting him, director Vinayan says there’s a negative opinion among the audience about those in the movie industry. “When someone who is a big part of the industry falls, the ripples would affect films, too. But that perception would change eventually,” he says.
The general audience though seems to be in no mood to rush to the theatres. Arya Sugathan, a homemaker, says, “When actors insult our intelligence and trust, why should we go ahead shell our money on their films?
I think it would be better spent watching a circus or going to a zoo. Animals are better than this.”
Makers of Dileep films are gutted, some might go ahead with other actors
The immediate whiplash of Dileep’s arrest on charges of criminal conspiracy will be borne by the actor’s upcoming projects —Ramaleela, Kammarasambhavam and Professor Dinkan.Ramaleela, which was supposed to hit theatres by June-end, was postponed several times and now it looks like the release will be delayed further. director Arun Gopy says, “We are yet to decide on the status of the film. Obviously, we are all gutted because the film is just not about the actor as there are hundreds of others who have also worked to make it.”
The movie has reportedly been produced with `14 crore budget, and as G Suresh Kumar, producers association official, says, “Releasing it now would only sting its producer more as the audience’s sentiments are totally against Dileep now. His fanbase has been the family audience and they will not forgive him.”
The makers of Kammarasambhavan, which was also supposed to mark Siddharth’s Mollywood debut, are also in dire straits, with the shooting of the mega-budget film being stalled midway after Dileep
was called for questioning last month. For Professor Dinkan though, there is a silver lining as its director K Ramachandra Babu says, “We have only shot for a few days with Dileep, so there is always a possibility of continuing with another actor. However, we are yet to take a decision on that.”
Dileep’s ex-wife Manju Warrier pained more than anything else
From the day the assault happened, Manju Warrier has maintained that there is a criminal conspiracy behind it. In fact she was the first to say it openly, at the condolence meeting which was held at the Durbar Hall Grounds soon after the incident. However, the arrest of her ex-husband is ‘’painful more than anything else’’ to the actress, says a source close to her. “Manju has always had respect for Dileep, as the father of her child, and has never spoken one word against him. She is obviously concerned about the future of her child,” says the source. Meanwhile, it is being rumoured that Manju has approached the court, asking for security of her daughter.
I’m shocked; it sounds too unreal to me : Charmme Kaur, actress
This news is shocking because I know Dileep, although we have been out of touch since long. It sounds so unreal to me. We worked together in the 2010 Malayalam film, Aagathan and shared a professional relationship, but I remember him saying good things about his first wife (Manju Warrier). He never came across as someone who could do something like this. I always assumed that it was the actress’ ex-driver who kidnapped her for some revenge. Whether this [allegation] is true, or he has just been trapped, we won't know till the judgment is passed. But you never know who feels offended by your behaviour and decides to take revenge. Fans ask for selfies and it’s difficult to oblige all of them. You never know who might hold a grudge and attack you. What can we do? Call the police after the damage is done? No set-up or organisation can ensure our safety.
Tollywood has a redressal system in place - Suresh Babu Daggubati, producer
What happened was a crime and it should be dealt with accordingly. In Tollywood, we have the Movie Artistes’ Association and the Junior Artistes’ Association. Anyone who is a member and facing a problem at the workplace, including sexual harassment, can always approach the associations. So, yes, we do have a system in place in that sense.
What happened is too scary - Amyra Dastur, actress
This assault was carried out by people whom the survivor trusted — her staff, her friends. What can you do in such cases? It’s scary! Personally, I make it a point never to travel alone. Since this incident, there has been talk about the need for a redressal forum to protect women from exploitation or harassment in the movie business. But it can only be a reactive mechanism, not a preventive one, right? But if it happens, it will be a good move as it would at least highlight untoward incidents.