The tide has turned and the time has finally come for the downfall of those in the Malayalam film industry who wielded immense unchecked power, giving them a free pass to commit even crimes. The Justice Hema Committee report has exposed the deplorable conditions under which women work, and since its release, many survivors have come forward to share their traumatic experiences of being violated by men, many of whom are prominent figures in the industry.
Now, two actors have raised allegations of harassment against senior Malayalam director Thulasidas. The first to speak out was south actor Sridevika, who claimed that Thulasidas harassed her while working on his film Avan Chandiyude Makan (2007), which starred Prithviraj Sukumaran. The incident took place during the movie’s production in 2006.
Sridevika stated that during the filming of Avan Chandiyude Makan, she endured harassment with Thulasidas repeatedly knocking on her hotel room door late at night for several days in a row. After contacting the hotel reception, she confirmed that it was indeed the director who was knocking.
Sridevika recalled informing a fellow actor about the harassment, which led her and her mother to move to a different room to avoid further encounters with Thulasidas. She also mentioned that after this incident, Thulasidas began acting vindictively towards her, behaving inappropriately on set and even reducing her shots and dialogues.
Despite lodging a formal complaint with the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), she said no action was taken against Thulasidas. Feeling let down by the association’s lack of response, Sridevika went public with her story on Facebook in 2018, highlighting the letter she had sent to AMMA and criticising the association for its inaction.
Actor Geetha Vijayan also shared her traumatic experiences with Thulasidas, stating that she faced similar harassment and stood up against it, which seemingly led to her exclusion from numerous films. Geetha alleged that Thulasidas harassed her persistently during the filming of his 1991 movie Chanchattam, repeatedly disturbing her in her hotel room by incessantly ringing the doorbell. The actor recalled that when she confronted him, he fled but later retaliated by acting vindictively, as Sridevika too described. Geetha said the director even refused to explain scenes to her and threatened to have her ousted from the industry.
“Isn’t this a powerful movement? A fear has come to all those who have committed violence against women, and that fear is their punishment. That fear should always be there. I hope that such bad incidents will not happen again. Even if it happens, everyone should show courage to oppose it,” Mathrubhumi quoted Geetha as saying, underscoring the significance of the ongoing movement.
Thulasidas, however, has denied these allegations. He claimed that Geetha, along with other actors, had an enjoyable experience during the shooting of Chanchattam and he never went knocking on her door. The director also mentioned that actor Siddique, who has faced rape accusations, was often in his room late at night “discussing the script”. Thulasidas dismissed Sridevika’s accusations as well, suggesting she might be seeking revenge because he once scolded her during the shoot. “One day, I scolded her on set for taking an hour to change clothes. Maybe she held a grudge over that,” he told Reporter Live. He added that anyone could ask Babu Janardhanan if he had cut Sridevika’s scenes in Avan Chandiyude Makan.
Thulasidas is known for directing Malayalam films that have reinforced the ‘good women/bad women’ trope, often through misogynistic family dramas that have earned him a good position in the industry.
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