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Malayalam film director P. Balachandrakumar, a key witness in the 2017 actor assault and abduction case in Kerala, died at 5:40 am on Friday at a private hospital in Chengannur, Kerala. Balachandrakumar’s friend and actor Prakash Bare announced the director's death on Facebook, writing, “After a long battle with illness and injustice, Balu has departed. The director was a former …

The Kerala High Court on Thursday strongly criticised the “VIP darshan” provided to actor Dileep at the Sabarimala temple, terming it “very very serious”. Film actor Dileep entered the first row of the Sopanam from the southern side by 10.58 pm and remained there till 11.05 pm,” the court stated. The court had earlier criticised the police and TDB for …

Award-winning filmmaker Jeo Baby said that a big revolution is happening within the Malayalam film industry and a massive change will occur in workplaces in Kerala. His remarks came a fortnight after the release of the landmark Justice Hema committee report, which has documented the systemic sexual abuse of women in the Malayalam film industry, the presence of a male …

Film

Pavi Caretaker review: Malayalam actor Dileep’s previous outing this year in theatres, Thankamani, didn’t meet box office expectations. This time around he is back with Pavi Caretaker which is directed by Vineeth Kumar and produced by Dileep himself. Pavi Caretaker review: Dileep in a still from his new film. A throwback to Dileep's comedies Pavi Caretaker reminds one of the …

Thankamani review: Dileep's film is a major let-down, dilutes real-life tragedy with needless romance

Ending misogyny in the Malayalam film industry

When an upcoming actor made allegations of rape against producer-actor Vijay Babu last month, he chose to brazen it out by appearing on Facebook Live and naming the woman. The producer and his actions were the latest signs of the larger problem within the Malayalam film industry, which has been in the spotlight for the past few years. Although there …

What’s the difference between Dileep, Vijay Babu and Rima Kallingal? While the first two actor-producers could manage to be in the good books of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and other associations in the Malayalam film industry, actor-producer Rima Kallingal and several other women have had to leave AMMA to form the Women in Cinema Collective. There is a power …

WCC Case : Kerala High Court Urges AMMA, FEFKA & Other Film Bodies To Form Joint Committee To Redress Grievances Of Women Artists & Employees

The Kerala High Court has made an appeal to the various organisations of the Malayalam film industry to form a joint committee to redress the grievances of women artists and employees regarding sexual harassment at workplace.A division bench comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly made the observation while deciding a PIL filed by Women in Cinema …

Malayalam film director Balachandrakumar has moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail apprehending arrest in a case where he has been accused of raping a woman in 2010 and recording the incident on his cellphone. The plea moved through Advocate V. Philip Mathews states that Balachandrakumar is innocent of the allegations levelled against him and that this crime is …

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday posted for January 21 the hearing of the anticipatory bail plea of actor Dileep in the actress abduction case. All these fresh twists and turns surfaced early this month after film director Balachandra Kumar made fresh statements related to the case. The court proceedings were progressing smoothly for Dileep till Kumar made an …

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday posted for January 21 the hearing of the anticipatory bail plea of actor Dileep in the actress abduction case. All these fresh twists and turns surfaced early this month after film director Balachandra Kumar made fresh statements related to the case. The court proceedings were progressing smoothly for Dileep till Kumar made an appearance …

Actor Dileep has had a controversial past few years. The assault case, the actors involved, and the relationship of the accused with prominent members of the film fraternity created an ecosystem in which the public image of Dileep remained intact in the minds of Kerala middle-class family audience who supported and cheered his movies even when he was behind bars. …

Director Omar Lulu says he's ready to do a film with Dileep, receives flak for sexist jibes

Rot in the Malayalam film industry

Malayalam films are going places, with refreshingly new narratives and experiential filmmaking. Standing with the survivor, a group of women working in Malayalam movies came together to form a ‘Women in Cinema Collective’ with a vision for “equal spaces and equal opportunities for women in cinema” and sought the Chief Minister’s intervention to deal with issues of gender bias and …

The sensational case relating to the abduction and sexual assault of a Malayalam film actor witnessed a dramatic twist on Thursday when the Prosecution sought to stop the trial proceedings, expressing no-confidence with the presiding judge.Stating that the conduct of the trial court is "highly biased" and "detrimental to the entire judicial system and to the entire prosecution", the. The …