Senior actor-filmmaker Revathy has slammed young Malayalam actor Bhamaa for turning hostile in the 2017 actress assault case which is in the trial stage.
In an emotional Facebook post, Revathy, one of the founders of the Women in Cinema Collective, said it was sad that they could not trust their own colleagues in the film industry.
Revathy said while there was nothing surprising in the stances of actors Edavela Babu, Bindu Panikar and Siddique who have reportedly changed their statements before the court, she wondered what made Bhamaa turn hostile in the case. “There is no memory of all that friendship and shared work space,” she wrote.
“...Edavela Babu and Bindu Panniker pulled back on their own statements in court, well could not have expected much from them. And now it's Mr Siddique and Bhamaa. I suppose one can understand why Mr Siddique did it but Bhamaa??? Having been a friend and confidant she too denies what she told the cops soon after the incident. The survivor has been going through such tough times all these years just to get justice which will be an opening to justice for women in general... why is it that no one thinks about what goes on in a survivor’s life and family for having filed a complaint?,” Revathy wrote, rekindling the #AVALKKOPPAM (With Her) campaign.
Actor Rima Kallingal echoed Revathy's feelings in a Facebook post.
“Shame. Deeply hurt that colleagues who stood by the survivor have turned hostile in the last minute when she needed their help the most.
As much as we know that the women who have turned hostile are also victims in some sense who have no place in the power equation of this industry, even then, it hurts the most,” she wrote.
The case pertains to the abduction and sexual assault of a south Indian actor in Kerala in February, 2017 when she was returning after work. Popular Dileep is accused of plotting the crime due to personal vengeance.
Reports said that Sidhique and Bhamaa have not mentioned in court their earlier statements to police about an argument between the survivor actor and Dileep during the rehearsal of a stage show before the crime took place.
Edavela Babu had earlier told the police that he was aware of a complaint filed by the survivor actor against Dileep in AMMA accusing the latter if denying her work. However, he has reportedly changed the statement in court.
While Bindu Panicker had earlier told police that she was aware of Dileep meeting Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the case, at Hotel Abad Plaza in Kochi in 2013, in March she told the court that she could not remember the incident.
