A Malayalam actor has reportedly filed a police complaint against actor-producer Vijay Babu for alleged rape, and sexual and physical abuse. The actor’s statement has been shared on a Facebook page ‘Women Against Sexual Harassment. The statement came a day after Babu dismissed all allegations against him and also named the complainant in a Facebook Live session. He called himself “the real victim” in the case.
Reports reveal the actor alleged in a complaint with the Kochi police that Babu had sexually abused her several times promising roles in his films. She alleged that she was physically and sexually assaulted between March and April this year. She said that he gained her trust by advising her about her career as she was new to the industry, but used it to exploit her.
“I have known him for a few years in the industry and had worked together with him for a movie. Through this time, he gained my trust by being friendly and advising me as I was a newcomer in the film industry with no proper guidance. He behaved like my saviour for my personal and professional problems but under the guise has sexually exploited me,” she wrote.
She also said that she was afraid to speak against him due to his clout in the industry. “Each time I tried to run away from this trauma, he would come after me with false promises of marriage. There are also several witnesses to the trauma he has put me through. Every time we met, he used to offer me characters in his upcoming films. But that wasn’t my intention. I was under his control and was scared to speak up because of the clout, influence and power he wielded in the film industry,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Women in Cinema Collective has slammed Malayalam actor-producer Vijay Babu for revealing the identity of the complainant. “Yet another shocking allegation of sexual harassment and violence in the Malayalam film industry is now public. While committees come and go, more such incidents continue to happen. WCC reiterates that crimes are being perpetrated here under the guise of professional equations and professional space,” the WCC said in a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, Babu, who is the founder of film production company Friday Film House and has six productions to his credit, has claimed that he has proof against the woman.
