Veteran Malayalam actress Geetha Vijayan has recently spoken out about her distressing experiences within the Malayalam film industry, revealing that she had to take a strong stance against certain individuals to protect herself.
In an interview with Manorama News, Geetha described several unsettling encounters where she had to confront inappropriate behaviour head-on, often telling the offenders to “get lost” and removing herself from the situation. She also mentioned persistent harassment, such as people knocking on her room door, which she believes contributed to missed opportunities in her career.
She shared with the portal, “In some film sets, few stars will protect us and nobody would dare to approach us indecently. There are also times when stars didn’t support me but it is their stand and we can’t do anything. I am very bold and not a person who will get shattered and cry in some corner over some bad approaches from directors or producers. There are some really great people in the industry. However, the big exulting over gender equality in the industry are hoax. There is nothing such as gender equality in the film industry.”
She continued, “When I faced such an issue from a director, I decided to complain. However, the director got dozens of film projects and was unaffected by the issue while I was restricted from movies. My chances dropped only because I dared to complain. So tell me, is there any hope in complaining? People capable enough to understand others should get the top position in ‘AMMA’ organization. I faced such a situation in 1991 with a notorious director. He showed indecent advances from the very first day and I threatened to walk out of the project. In frustration over my denial, he started abusing me in public and that was very unfortunate. It should not happen to anyone. There is another actress, who also faced similar misconduct from the director. Let the time come and we both will give a statement. He started knocking my door during night hours and at that time, I was more inclined towards speaking Tamil. I used some Tamil expletives and handled the issue. Later, I heard the same word while watching the movie ‘Anniyan’ in 2005.”
Geetha’s revelations come amidst a broader conversation about the struggles and harassment that women face in the Malayalam film industry. She urged her colleagues to come forward with their own experiences, emphasizing the importance of shedding light on these issues to bring about change.
Geetha also raised serious concerns about the leadership within the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), particularly questioning how actor Siddique managed to secure a prominent position despite the serious allegations against him.
Her comments come in the wake of actress Revathy Sampath’s accusations against Siddique, where she alleged sexual misconduct when she was just 21 years old. Sampath, referencing the Hema Committee Report, claimed that Siddique first contacted her via Facebook, addressing her as “Mole,” a term of endearment commonly used in Kerala. She recounted how the actor’s behaviour during a supposed professional meeting turned abusive.
“After completing my Plus Two, I had a terrible experience. Siddique sent me messages on Facebook. I had come to discuss a film. This incident occurred when I was 21 years old. He first approached me by calling me ‘Mole.’ There was abuse from Siddique’s side. During the discussion, he sexually abused me. The face he shows now is not the one I saw back then,” Revanthy said.
Actor Siddique has lodged a police complaint against junior artiste. In his complaint to the Director General of Police, Siddique claimed that the allegations are part of a larger agenda. Currently in Ooty, the actor reportedly filed the complaint via email, dismissing the accusations and stating that his meeting with Revathy had happened in the presence of her parents.
His complaint says that there is criminal conspiracy to fabricate and spread false and scandalous allegations against him. He has said that he met the actress only on the day of the preview of a movie along with her parents and that, no allegation of any physical contact or rape was raised by her in her social media post in 2019 and 2021. He also wrote that such an allegation has been raised for the first time since August 24, 2024 and it is a concerted effort to tarnish his reputation taking advantage of the present situation.
Following the allegations, Siddique resigned as AMMA’s general secretary on Sunday. AMMA vice president Jayan Cherthala confirmed it.
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