Malayalam actress assault case: Dileep, Nadirshah questioned by police; spotlight on industry

Four months after Kerala Police arrested Sunil Kumar alias Pulsar Suni, the main accused in the sexual assault on an actress in the Malayalam film industry and his accomplices, the case has returned to the limelight to haunt the Malayalam film industry.

Ironically, it is the conspiracy angle of the case which is in the focus now, despite Kerala chef minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring publicly during the initial phase of investigation that there is no conspiracy in the case.

With the Mollywood actor Dileep being dragged into the conspiracy part of the case, following marathon questioning of him by the police on June 28, the situation has turned murky. While the police has not announced finding any new solid proof to implicate any particular person in the conspiracy, some of their latest actions point to the possibility of a conspiracy.

What is sure is that the present controversy will have a negative impact on the industry and the power equations in the industry may change. Moreover, it will force Dileep, who has considerable clout in the industry and is also the president of theatre owners’ association, to lie low for the time being.

AMMA meet

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) which met on June 29 at Kochi in the backdrop of the case tried to control the damage, but it ended up in exposing the rift in the organisation, the power struggle to control the industry and the vested interests that guide different cliques in the industry.

After the meet, Innocent, M.P of CPM, who is the president of the organisation, told the media that they don’t want to comment as the matter is under investigation. While speaking to the media after AMMA meet, two MLAs from the organisation — K.B. Ganesh Kumar and Mukesh (both belong to ruling LDF), flared up and warned the press not to ask unnecessary questions. Reports said that at AMMA meet, members wanted justice for the sexual assault victim as well as Dileep.

While expressing support for both victim and Dileep, AMMA seems to have created an impression of running with the hare and hunting with the hound.

N.S. Madhavan, a retired IAS officer and well known writer in Malayalam tweeted that AMMA stands for Association of Money-Mad Male Actors. Meanwhile, Women in Cinema (a collective of women in Mollywood) has announced that they would file a complaint with Women’s Commission in the issue, indicating a decision different from AMMA.

Progress of the case

The case filed by Kerala Police in connection with the attack which was lying dormant for months, took a curious turn when Dileep, Apunni and Nadirshah were questioned by Kerala Police at Aluva Police Club on June 28 for around 13 hours. They could return home only after political intervention, said local media. The prolonged questioning of Dileep has dragged his name into the case and he will have to do much explanation to overcome the negative publicity.

Though Dileep explained that he was not questioned by the police and what happened was, he provided a detailed statement to them in connection with a blackmailing case filed by him two months ago. However, not many believe the statement.

Moreover, the police also hinted that he had been questioned. They told media that investigations in the case are progressing and no clean chit has been given to anyone in the case.

Mollywood insiders say the reason for turmoil in Mollywood over questioning of Dileep is not sexual assault case.

Cliques in the industry fear that the police might have collected details of underhand financial deals, alleged money laundering and underworld-politician-film star nexus in the industry questioning Dileep. Besides being an actor, Dileep is also a film producer and businessman with close connections with other stars in the industry including super stars. He is said to have business and financial deals with the leading personalities in Mollywood. He has also produced films for the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).

Dileep’s opponents say his clique has grown so powerful in recent days that even some of the superstars in the industry feel uneasy about it.

They accuse him of destroying careers of those artists who oppose him and hindering the screening of films of those producers and artists who did not yield to his demands.

Letter of Pulsar Suni to Dileep

The questioning of Dileep follows the publishing of a letter allegedly written by Pulsar Suni to Dileep which hinted about the latter’s involvement in the conspiracy behind the assault. It has also been revealed that several phone calls have been made to Dileep’s manager  on Suni’s behalf for blackmail the actor. This could not have been possible without the support of powerful persons and jail officials as Suni is now in jail.

The letter evoked an angry response from Dileep who said that he and Nadirshah had earlier complained to the police that they had received a call from an accomplice of Suni demanding Rs 1.5 crore for not dragging Dileep’s name into the case and had provided evidence to the police on the call.

On June 26, police arrested two co-prisoners of Suni, for trying to extort money from Dileep on behalf of Suni.

Later, in another public statement Dileep allegedly said that the assault victim had close contacts with Pulsar Suni. Subsequently a few other actors came out with statements supporting him.

Salim Kumar, a national award winning actor from Kerala and one of the upcoming actors in Malayalam film industry Aju Varghese also made certain statements allegedly defaming her. Later, all those who made such statements apologized as the victim warned of filing complaints against efforts to defame her.

Meanwhile, leading criminal lawyer B.A. Aloor who is the lawyer for the accused in many high profile cases said he would represent Suni. It is not known how Suni, who comes from a poor family and has been working as a driver, would be able to afford fees of Aloor. But it means, there will be crucial legal support to the accused in the coming days.

To conclude, the recent developments in the assault case has proved that conspiracy in the assault case cannot be dismissed. It has also exposed the nexus among Money launderers, criminals, politician and film stars of Mollywood. The question is will the police act?