Sajin Baabu and VK Prakash accused of sexual assault

Filmmakers Sajin Baabu and VK Prakash are accused of sexual abuse. (Supplied)

A woman who had worked on Sajin's films claimed that the director had repeatedly visited her room under various pretexts. Initially, she kept her experience to herself, but after hearing a similar story from another woman during the closed session of the Hema's Judicial Committee, she realised that Sajin Baabu's behaviour was part of a pattern, a report in The News Minute.

The second woman, who was not originally from the film industry, also had a negative experience with Sajin Baabu. She claimed that the filmmaker tried to rape her during a meeting to translate a script.

When she resisted, Sajin Baabu apologized repeatedly but continued to harass her. She eventually managed to escape, but suffered trauma for years.

Responding to these allegations, Sajin Baabu admitted his past mistakes and claimed that he had apologised to both women. He made a detailed statement The News Minuteand attributed his behavior to patriarchal conditioning. However, he expressed a desire to become a better person.

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Allegations against VK Prakash and VA Shrikumar Menon

On Monday, August 26, a young writer from the Malayalam film industry alleged that director VK Prakash misbehaved with her after inviting her to a hotel room in Kollam on the pretext of discussing a story.

She contacted VK Prakash to pitch him a story she wanted him to direct and he expressed interest in the project.

The scriptwriter stated that she repeatedly offered to send him the story and continue the conversation only if he was really interested. However, VK Prakash insisted on a meeting at the hotel where he asked her to present her story to him.

During the meeting, the filmmaker asked her if she was interested in acting, but she declined, emphasizing her role as a screenwriter.

The director then narrated a scene to her and asked her to re-enact it. When she refused, he reportedly tried to kiss her and forced her onto the bed. She resisted and made it clear that she had only come to Kollam to discuss her script.

“I did not confide in any friend and was afraid to file an official complaint. Now I am confident that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has promised protection and support to women who have gone through such experiences in pursuit of their dreams. I admire his films and never expected him to behave like this,” the screenwriter added.

Apart from Sajin Babu and VK Prakash, Odiyan (2018), director VA Shrikumar Menon was also accused of sexually harassing a young artist during the shooting of the film.

The young artist filed a police complaint against the filmmaker, alleging that he sexually harassed her under the pretext of offering her a role in the advertisement. Shrikumar Menon is well known in the advertising industry.

Meanwhile, more allegations are being made against actor Mukesh. The sitting MP (Kollam constituency)'s name has cropped up in yet another misbehaviour case. Young artist Sandhya alleged that Mukesh misbehaved with the mother of one of her actor friends at his residence. More details are awaited.

(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)

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