The actress’s decision to step down came the day after she used a Facebook post to restate her initial accusations of rape and sexual assault from 2019.
After an actress accused him of rape and sexual assault, veteran Malayalam actor Siddique resigned from his position as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), a well-known actors’ organization in Kerala.
Siddique, who acted in more than 350 films, most of them in Malayalam, told Asianet TV that he had submitted his resignation to AMMA Mohanlal. In view of the accusations made against me, I have made this decision. I should not carry on with that post. I don’t want to discuss the accusations at this time.
The actress’s decision to step down was made the day after, in a Facebook post, she restated her initial accusations of rape and sexual assault from 2019. The purported incident happened in a 2016 hotel.
“At the time, I was a recent entry into the industry. Under the guise of talking about a movie project, he invited me into a hotel. There was never a film like that. It was a ruse. He assaulted and sexually molested me. He also hit me with a physical blow. The actress told the media on Saturday, “I had to give up my dreams and my time, and I went through a lot of mental trauma.”
The accusations against Siddique, who was chosen for a three-year term as general secretary by AMMA’s internal election earlier this year, are being made against the backdrop of the Hema committee report’s release, which has revealed instances of sexual abuse and harassment against female technicians and artists in the Malayalam film industry.
The committee was established in 2017 following the alleged orchestration of a prominent actress’s kidnapping and sexual assault by a group of men in a moving car, with actor Dileep playing a key role. The trial for the charges of criminal conspiracy and evidence destruction against him is still ongoing.
Even though the report was turned in to the government in 2009, it took more than four and a half years for its contents to be made public, with redacted sections that included testimonies of abuse and harassment.
Siddique had said to reporters on Friday, in response to questions regarding the report, “We welcome the report and its findings.” The committee’s recommendations should be put into practice by the government because they will improve the working conditions in the sector.
He also denied that there was a “casting couch” in the business and said that the Hema report’s testimonies were the result of “a few isolated incidents.” He also refuted claims that there is an industry “power group” made up exclusively of men that controls everything.
