Though the actor played a key role in the film, the director says he chose to remove the scenes to ensure a respectful workplace.
Published Aug 26, 2024 | 4:52 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 26, 2024 | 4:52 PM
Removed an actor from my film 2018 for misbehaving with a woman, says Jude Anthany Joseph. (X)
Amid the shocking revelations about sexual harassment faced by various women actors in Malayalam cinema, filmmaker Jude Anthany Joseph has disclosed that he removed an actor from one of his movies for misbehaving with a junior artiste.
Jude Anthany Joseph told a news channel that he removed an actor, who was roped in for a prominent role in his film 2018: Everyone is a Hero (2024) after he behaved inappropriately with a junior artiste.
The director stated that while filming 2018: Everyone is a Hero, he noticed an actor misbehaving with a female junior artiste. Even though the actor had an important role in the film, the filmmaker decided to remove all his scenes to ensure a respectful workplace. “After that incident, I removed his scenes from the movie.”
Jude Anthany Joseph said the actor was cast in one of the important roles with many continuity scenes throughout the film. But the filmmaker decided to replace him and reshoot those scenes with another actor.
The Malayalam director didn’t reveal the name of the actor. However, he hinted that those who watched 2018: Everyone is a Hero attentively can notice a character whose screen time gets reduced towards the end of the film.
Soon after the much-delayed Justice Hema Committee Report was published last week, more female actors and junior artistes started sharing their harrowing experiences of sexual harassment and abuse in the Malayalam film industry.
Most of them openly named the culprits—several senior actors, directors, and technicians—and demanded that they be immediately brought to justice.
Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) general secretary Siddique and Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman and filmmaker Ranjith resigned from their posts after they were accused of sexual harassment.
Young actor Reveathy Sampath claimed that Siddique sexually assaulted her in 2016 on the pretext of offering a Tamil film.
Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused Ranjith of misbehaving with him during an audition for his movie Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha.
Similarly, Malayalam actors Jayasurya, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Baburaj, and director Thulasidas are also facing sexual abuse allegations.
(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)
