Malayalam director Sajjin Baabu admits sexual abuse: Had mental problems

Two women accused Malayalam director Sajjin Baabu of sexual assault and attempted rape. The women also testified before the Hema Committee during the investigation before it released the report that rocked the industry. The director later admitted “the mistakes” and mentioned that he had already apologised to the two women and spoken to the Women Cinema Collective (WCC) about the two incidents.

In an interview with The News MinuteBoth survivors recounted their harrowing experience and mentioned that the director is now covering up the damage to have a clean image in the industry. A woman who accused him of attempted rape stated that Sajjin “started masturbating” when she shouted at him and got up to leave the place.

“He said 'sorry' when I screamed …”

She said she was not even in the film industry when the incident took place a few years ago. The woman said she was fresh out of college and was introduced to Sajjin through a mutual friend who needed his help in translating a film script. She added that she met the director in Thrissur at the Sangeeta Nataka Akademi and started reading the script for him.

“He then suggested that I read it in peace in a nearby room, repeatedly saying that he would not come there. However, he then came and tried to rape me. I started screaming. He knew that there were people nearby and apologized. But then when I tried to pack my things and leave, he started masturbating. I screamed again and he apologized again and this repeated itself,” she said. The survivor said she ran out of the place and rushed to the nearby railway station and told her friend everything. She said she confided in many people after that, but never filed an official complaint against Sajjin and only later spoke to the Hema Committee members.

Another woman recounted a similar experience, revealing that she was forced to stay with Sajjin's girlfriend in a three-story building reserved for members of the film crew they were working on. “On the first night, when the girlfriend was not there, he came to the room under the pretext of getting his bag. Then he locked the door and started asking me questions about working in the film,” she said.

“He said 'sorry' when I started making noise…”

The woman further said that the director immediately apologized when he saw that she was uncomfortable with his action. “He started touching my hands and moving his hands all over my body, and I resisted and started making noises. When he heard that, he suddenly apologized and said something about trying to make me comfortable on the set and left the room. After that, he always looked for a reason to come into the room, whether his girlfriend was there or not,” she explained.

None of these women knew each other before, and it was only during their testimony before the Hema Committee that they met and realized that they were speaking against the same man. The first woman even stated officially that it was only after the director learned of her testimony that he contacted both of them and apologized in detail for his behavior.

“He met both of us at a film festival after we had testified before the Hema committee. The apology seemed to be a ploy to build his image as a progressive politician who makes women-friendly films. He is intelligently portraying himself as a progressive feminist and even the apology is part of that. I don't think he behaves like that towards women who hold any power. He does that towards newbies and that was Alli and I when that happened,” she said.

Sajjin blames the “patriarchy”

In his defense, Sajjin told the news portal that he is a victim of patriarchy and societal conditioning as he, as a man, never had to take responsibility for his behavior towards women in society. He said he has become a better person today and has sought “medical help.”

“We all grew up in deeply patriarchal societies and have unconsciously imbibed their values. As we become more exposed to the world and its progressive values, some of us try to unlearn this conditioning and become better people. It took me a lot of time and medical interventions to process this incident. It was only in 2018-19 that I was able to get over it. For my part, I know that every day I try to become a better person, be it through my behavior or my cinema,” he said.

Sajjin further appreciated the hard work of the Hema Committee in exposing numerous cases of sexual harassment like the one he was involved in. He said, “Problematic behaviour has been normalised and the pain and trauma that women face is often not even acknowledged. That is why I truly believe that the Hema Committee report will be a historic document that will hopefully bring about a huge change in terms of women's rights and safety not only in the Malayalam film industry but across the country. I pray that it can bring a solution for the affected individuals.”

The director had earlier made a long Facebook post praising the findings of the Hema committee. It was the same post that prompted the two women to speak out against him in the media after they had already presented their respective cases to the committee members.

“It is this masquerade of putting on a progressive facade that upsets me. He talks about the Hema Committee and women's issues in Kerala! I cannot tolerate this hypocrisy and double standards,” said one of the women.

Today, August 27, all members of the Association of Malayalam Cine Artists (AMMA) resigned after allegations of sexual harassment were made against some members of the association. The association was chaired by Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, who was criticised for keeping quiet about the Hema Committee and the allegations.