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Malayalam producer booked for rape, revealing survivor’s identity
Babu denied the charges and threatened to file a defamation case against the complainant for blackmailing him
Malayalam film producer-actor Vijay Babu has been booked for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman actor, the Kerala Police said on Wednesday, adding that another case was registered against him for revealing the identity of the survivor.
According to the police, the actor filed a complaint on April 22, accusing Babu of sexually abusing her several times by promising good roles in films and forcing her to take narcotics. The actor also alleged that the producer, who is also the founder of the production company Friday Film House, threatened to release her intimate photos and videos, police said.
Babu has been booked under sections 376 (sexual assault), 323 (causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), a senior police officer said. Later, another case was registered against him under IPC Section 228A for revealing the identity of the complainant, the officer added.
Kochi deputy police commissioner VU Kuriakose said Babu is reported to be absconding.
Soon after the complaint was registered against him, Babu, in a Facebook live session, denied charges and threatened to file a defamation case against the complainant. The producer also clarified that he was in Dubai for some work and not absconding.
The actor-producer said he knew the complainant since 2018 and gave her a chance to act in one of his films, adding that they were not in touch for over a year.
“She sent me around 400 messages, whose screenshots I have, saying she was suffering from depression. I have not responded to her message for more than a year. I am a victim of blackmailing,” he said.
Babu also mentioned the name of the survivor several times during the Facebook live saying, “I am the real victim. I will script new chapter #me too. I can share proofs of all conversations.”
In 2017, another woman had filed a similar complaint against the producer-actor, but later withdrew it.
Babu, 45, has produced seven films and acted in eight movies over more than a decade. His Sufium Sujathayum was the first Malayalam film to be released on an OTT platform.
Last month, the Kerala high court had ordered all film houses and production units to float internal complaints committees following a plea filed by the Women in Cinema Collective, a body of women artists.
“Yet another shocking allegation of sexual harassment and violence in Malayalam film industry is public. WCC reiterates that crimes are being perpetrated here under the guise of professional equations and professional space,” the WCC said in a post.
Another actor Dileep is facing trial in the abduction and assault case filed against him by another woman actor in 2017.
