Fingers pointed at Shine after actor alleges misbehaviour

Kochi: A day after a woman actor lodged a complaint with AMMA and Kerala Film Chamber alleging misbehaviour by a male actor, it was revealed on Thursday that the woman had named actor Shine Tom Chacko in her complaint.

Recently, the actor had raised allegations that a male actor, allegedly under the influence of drugs, had verbally abused her and misbehaved with her. She said she witnessed the actor presumably consuming drugs on the set of a movie. During the rehearsal of a scene, he was seen spitting some kind of white powder onto the table, the actor had said. She said it was very evident that he was using drugs on the film set. Though she informed the makers of the movie, the filming continued without any interruption as the actor in question played the lead role.

She has said in her complaint that Chacko misbehaved with her and used abusive words towards her and another woman actor. "For example, I had a problem with my dress and I went to fix it. Then he said, ‘I too will come and do it for you.' He said this in front of everyone," she told reporters without naming the actor.

"My co-actor also had similar issues. A junior actor may not be brave enough to say that such a prominent actor behaved in a wrong manner," she said.

WCC extends support

to complainant

Meanwhile, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has come out in support of the complainant. "We commend the actor for her courage to speak out against the inappropriate behaviour of a fellow actor who, under the influence of substances, disrespected her femininity on a film set. She highlights the harsh reality of widespread alcohol and drug use on many Malayalam film sets. Women should first report any mental or physical abuse to the internal committee (IC)," WCC said in a Facebook post.

Film chamber denies role in leaking complaint

Kerala film chamber general secretary Saji Nanthiyattu said that the organization had no role in leaking the actor's complaint. The complaint was received by e-mail on Wednesday night. Since there were some technical issues, there was some delay in receiving the complaint. By that time, the complaint surfaced on social media, Nanthiyattu said.

When asked whether there will be action against Chacko, he said, "Definitely, action will be taken against the actor". A decision on the complaint will be taken at a meeting of the chamber committee on Monday, he said.