May, 1980. Shobha Mahendra is dead. Found hanging on a chiffon saree at her K.K. Nagar apartment in Chennai, then Madras. Young, in her teens, an actress of promise, she had just won the national award for her performance in Pasi, a Tamil film. It’s thought to be suicide, but with many mysteries surrounding it. The suicide note is found a day later. Shobha’s mother Prema writes a letter to the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, alleging foul play.
This may be one of the oldest instances of crime in Malayalam cinema. There was another actress before her — Vijayashree — and another after — Silk Smitha, who took the same way out. Suicide is only one part of it. Crime has shown its ugly face now and again in cinema, pushed back by all who wanted to deny, or forget. There have been cases involving the names of prominent actors like Jagathy Sreekumar in the Vithura rape case, Vijayakumar in the visa racket case, Priyanka in a blackmail case, Baburaj in a cheating case, and Shine Tom Chacko on drug charge.
And now, Dileep. Arrested for conspiracy in the actress abduction and assault case in Kochi. When all the facts are put together, this may perhaps be the worst of all crimes masterminded by a film personality in recent years. There have been ugly cases in other industries — be it Sanjay Dutt for his arms and ammunition case or Salman for the hit-and-run. But the sheer evil of planning the attack for years and making several attempts before, all to take revenge on the young actress because ‘she became privy to his wife leaving him’, portrays Dileep in very poor light.
Film critic C.S. Venkiteswaran hits the nail on the head, when he says, “The most crucial aspect of this case, was the daring of the woman to speak out and hold on to her charges — they never expected it and so couldn’t hush it up.” All of this came to light only because she spoke out. Sadly, that has not always been the case. “I think the ascendance and prominence of criminal networks is facilitated by the fact that Malayalam cinema is not a ‘proper’ industry, by which I mean there are no production houses or companies that make long-term investments and have long-term interests in cinema as an industry,” Venkiteswaran says.
“Instead, Malayalam film industry is crowded with fly-by-night producers, and controlled by several regressive networks at the distribution and exhibition level. With the gradual retreat of box office as the main revenue source for cinema, and the rising hegemony of television ratings and satellite rights, star power has become crucial. All these ‘industrial’ conditions, I think, prepare the grounds for criminal gangs to function smoothly and run the show,” he says. How do we define crime, asks Deedi Damodaran, scriptwriter. She feels it is not limited to sexual harassment. It is also about the remuneration and respect given to women in the industry. But those are things people won't even talk about.
The actress first disclosed about her problems with Dileep to Deccan Chronicle. Screen grab from Kerala Chronicle, December 17, 2015.
“If they are given that due respect, everything will fall into place. When women are not even considered individuals, such would be the consequence,” she says, adding, “Censor Board, an apparatus of the government, gives U certificate to films which are so anti-women. Such films are watched by children in their living rooms. There have been so many actress suicides — how many of us probe the reason? Even if we probe, we become silent if big shots are involved. It is not a crime that was born in one actor’s mind yesterday. Everyone has contributed to it, including the AMMA meeting the other day. We saw the rage of his colleagues trying to protect Dileep. That’s the general attitude. To an extent, the arrest will change that — give a message that no one is above the law.”
Director Vinayan, whose movies contributed to Dileep’s rise to stardom during his initial years, says that this incident will divide Malayalam film industry into two eras — before Dileep and after Dileep. “Criminals have always ruled the industry — be it stars or organisations. Even before the assault on the actress there have been several instances of crime. Pulsar Suni himself has been involved in kidnap attempts and blackmailing earlier. When Suni tried to kidnap actress Menaka Sureshkumar a few years ago, the organisation prevented her from going ahead with the complaint. When drugs were recovered from Shine Tom Chacko’s apartment, he was crucified and the rest of the names that cropped up vanished into thin air. Similarly, the drug party in a luxury cruise was also conveniently forgotten. But I believe this won’t happen anymore. Money power and fame cannot help criminals save their neck,” he says.
The director also hopes this incident will create a fear among criminals of M’town. “While investigating, the police didn’t give any consideration to stardom and glamour. I am very optimistic. Realising that no money or fame can protect any wrongdoing, the organisation will come forward to act against goondaism and casting couch. Woman actors will no longer have to face instances that rob them of dignity. Everyone will be very cautious,” he says. Vinayan had earlier claimed that if Dileep was arrested, many of his supporters would disown the actor, whom he calls a “master manipulator”. “However, there will still be actors who will say he was framed. I pity them as they talk out of fear of losing their opportunities,” he concludes.
(With inputs from Vandana Mohandas)
