The senior actor said in his letter to AMMA President Mohanlal that he was resigning due to the sexual abuse allegation against him.
Published Aug 25, 2024 | 9:30 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 25, 2024 | 2:48 PM
Actor Siddique.
The developments in the Malayalam film industry look as though the Hema Committee report has opened Pandora’s box, with the most recent one being the resignation of actor Siddique early on Sunday, 25 August, from the post of AMMA general secretary after allegations of sexual assault by Revathy Sampath.
The actor submitted his resignation to Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) President Mohanlal.
“I am stepping down from the position in light of the allegations against me,” he said in the letter to Mohanlal.
On Saturday, actor Revathy Sampath alleged that Siddique had sexually assaulted her in 2016.
While speaking to the media, Revathy questioned the senior actor who said the findings in the Hema Committee report were criminal activities asking whether Siddique knew what he did to her was also a criminal activity.
In 2019, Revathy opened up about Siddique’s actions but nobody trusted her.
She once again challenged the actor who had on Friday said that there was no casting couch in Malayalam cinema and the perpetrators are criminals too.
Recalling the incident Revathy said that the incident happened in 2016 in Thiruvananthapuram after a preview of Siddique’s film ‘Sukhamariyathe‘ at Nila Theatre. Revathy was then 21.
She told the media that Siddique had contacted her to talk about an offer in a Tamil movie that would feature his son. Revathy said that he affectionately addressed her as a daughter and hence she did not doubt him initially.
The actress said that Siddique allegedly urged her to make “adjustments”.
“He’s a criminal. He subjected me to sexual assault for an hour. He asked me to come to Hotel Mascot to discuss the offer. I was caught unaware when he asked me immediately whether I was ready for adjustments,” Revathy said.
She further said that when she expressed shock hearing this from a senior actor, he became explicit in his demands saying that his sexual fantasies include women with long nails.
Revathy further said that when she raised the issue in 2019, Siddique threatened her that she couldn’t do anything against him.
She said that she wasn’t getting any roles in the films after this incident as she was known as a troublemaker later in the industry.
However, Revathy said she is not moving with a legal complaint against the actor as she needs peace of mind.
More and more woman actors have come against the sexual harassment faced by them in the Malayalam film industry after the Hema Committee report was released on Monday.
Earlier, Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra alleged that Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith had misbehaved with her.
Meanwhile, a junior actor, Sonia Malhar, told the media that she was sexually assaulted by a super star eight years ago.
When she questioned it, he said that he would make sure that she would get roles. She said she resisted the move and the actor apologised to her later.
The actress also said that a comedy actor who died recently had asked for sexual favours some years back.
Meanwhile, Sonia also said that she was not proceeding with any legal actions since she was not in a state of mind to do so.
On 24 Saturday, actor Usha Haseena said a director who is no more had asked her to come to her room in the 90’s.
She revealed that she went with her father to the director’s room and the director was angry at her. She also said that it was a time when there was no social media and her protest against the director was news in film magazines then.
She added that she received fewer offers after that.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
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