Young artist files complaint of sexual assault against actor Baburaj and director Shrikumar

A day after she made allegations of sexual harassment against Malayalam actor Baburaj and director VA Shrikumar on August 27, a former junior artist on Tuesday filed a complaint through email with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Kerala government to probe sexual harassment cases in the Malayalam film industry. Speaking to the media, the complainant said that S Ajeetha Begam, a member of the SIT team, approached her and asked her if she was willing to file a formal complaint, to which she agreed.

Following the release of the Hema Committee report on August 19, which shed light on the prevailing practices in Malayalam cinema, many women have come forward to speak out about the traumatic experiences they have had to endure in the industry, naming several prominent actors and directors as perpetrators.

The plaintiff, who is no longer working in the industry, had on August 26 alleged that she had bitter experiences in the industry at the hands of Baburaj and Shrikumar. Baburaj is an influential figure in the Malayalam film industry who rose through the ranks as a junior artist, playing mostly negative roles before taking on more prominent character roles in the last decade. Shrikumar, an ad and feature film director, is best known for his 2018 directorial film 'The. Odiyan with Mohanlal in the lead role.

According to the complainant, Baburaj had sexually harassed her after offering her a role in a film. “Baburaj had invited me to his house in Aluva and claimed that the director, casting director and production manager of the film were all at his house. He said we could discuss the film and my role in it. But when I reached his house, nobody was there. He gave me a room to rest and offered me food. And then he came into the room and sexually harassed me. Such an experience with him was totally unexpected for me. I was in shock. I had no support then. I also had no money with me. It was only the next day that I could leave the house,” she said.

She added that her bitter experience with Shrikumar happened in 2020 when he allegedly invited her to a hotel in Kochi and offered her a role in an advertisement before sexually assaulting her. She said she later decided to quit the film industry as the offers often came with demands for “adjustments”. She also had to go through bad experiences at certain auditions, she added.

According to the Hema Committee report, 'adjustments' and 'compromise' are two words that are very familiar to women in the industry. They essentially mean that every aspiring actress is 'required to make herself available for sex on request'.

The plaintiff said she did not file a complaint at the time because the perpetrators were “famous people” and she was afraid that this could endanger her survival. “I found the courage to open up because there are now people who can support me. The Hema Committee report is also an important factor that helped me talk about it,” she said.

Baburaj later denied the allegations against him and claimed that some people from the film industry were behind the “conspiracy” to trap him. He said this was done because they feared that he might be considered for the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), a post that fell vacant following the subsequent allegations of sexual harassment against him. Baburaj was the joint secretary of the organisation until all office-bearers of AMMA, including its president Mohanlal, resigned on August 27, citing “moral responsibility”.

The actor and producer had also asked the plaintiff to “show her face in public” if she maintained her allegations.

On August 27, the complainant confirmed to the media that she had filed a complaint with the SIT. “Baburaj has denied my allegations against him. That is why I decided to file a complaint,” she said.

The Hema Committee was formed in 2017 to investigate the difficulties faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. A redacted version of the committee report, which protected the privacy of the witnesses, was released on August 19, almost five years after it was submitted to the government. The report has detailed various issues prevalent in the industry, from sexual abuse and the absence of a grievance system to the unavailability of toilets for women on film sets.