Actor Mammootty Amid Mollywood #MeToo Row

New Delhi: Amid the storm in Mollywood surrounding sexual assault allegations against some top actors and directors, legendary actor Mammooty has said there is “no power centre” in Malayalam cinema and appealed to police to investigate the allegations honestly.

This comes a day after Mohanlal, another top actor of Malayalam cinema, said that neither was he a part of any power group in Mollywood, nor was he aware of any such group.

In a Facebook post, 72-year-old Mammootty said cinema is a reflection of the society and the good and bad in the society are also present in the film industry.

The Justice Hema Committee, he said, was formed to suggest solutions and recommend measures after something that should never have happened. Welcoming the recommendations of the panel, Mammooty said police investigation is proceeding swiftly.

“The full version of the Justice Hema committee report is before the court. Let the police investigate honestly. Let the court decide the punishments. There is no ‘powerhouse’ in cinema,” he said.

The veteran actor said the norm is that the actors’ organisation responds to such issues first. He said he waited this long for this very reason.

The Malayalam film industry has been rocked by allegations of sexual assault and harassment against some top actors and filmmakers. Actors Jayasurya Sidhique, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu and director Ranjith are among the prominent film personalities who now face cases of sexual harassment or assault. Several actors, including Minu Muneer and Sonia Malhaar, have brought serious allegations of sexual abuse.

The flood of allegations comes against the backdrop of the public release of the Justice Hema Committee report last week. The 235-page report, published after redacting names of witnesses and the accused, notes that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by 10-15 male producers, directors, and actors. The three-member Justice Hema Committee was set up by the state government in 2017 and submitted its report in 2019. The report was not made public so far due to legal challenges to its release.

The uproar has led to the dissolution of the top panel of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists or AMMA. The panel, led by Mohanlal as president, said it is taking moral responsibility “in light of allegations made by some actors against some of the committee”.

A Special Investigation Team is now probing the allegations.

In a statement last evening, Mohanlal said the film industry is answerable to the questions raised, but the actors’ association is targeted and blamed for everything.

“I am not part of any power group in Malayalam cinema and not aware of the existence of any such group. I have heard about it for the first time,” the actor said.

On the allegations against AMMA, he said, “AMMA is not an outfit with trade union nature. It was launched for the welfare of its members….The entire film industry is answerable to the questions regarding the Hema panel.”

There are several associations in the Malayalam film industry, but AMMA is blamed for everything. “It is not right to crucify an outfit alone for all these issues,” Mohanlal said.