'Experienced child abuse three times, that trauma still remains': Actor Nihal Pillai opens up

Actor Nihal Pillai has spoken about the sexual abuse he faced as a child. Sharing his painful experiences on his YouTube channel 'Oru Happy Family', Nihal revealed he was first assaulted at age eight and faced further incidents during his time in Kuwait.

Nihal stated he faced abuse "two or three times," calling two incidents "serious trauma." Recounting the first assault, which occurred around age eight, he described visiting a nearby staff quarter with friends, lured by the promise of football stickers.

He recalled the trauma of the incident, which ended in a commotion after another child told their parents. "After that, none of us ever went back there... I still remember the smell of that room today. It is definitely a trauma that still exists," he said.

The actor later moved to Kuwait, where he experienced a second traumatic incident during his tenth or eleventh grade. The third attempt occurred during his Plus Two, when he was invited for a car drive. Nihal noted that by the third time, he was old enough to recognise the danger and avert the situation.

He said he chose to speak out now after seeing recent news reports about the exploitation of children, stating, "All these incidents remain as a trauma in my mind even now. I felt I had to speak out when I saw news reports about so many children being sexually exploited today."

Nihal is known for his role in the film Mumbai Police, which starred Prithviraj. He is married to actor Priya Mohan, who is the sister of actor Poornima Indrajith.