Screenwriter says Kerala State Film Awards jury owes women apology over Best Lyricist to alleged abuser Vedan

The Kerala State Film Awards were announced on Monday evening. There has been backlash since then, including from Deedi Damodaran.

Filmmaker-screenwriter and founding member of Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), Deedi Damodaran took to her Facebook account on Wednesday to slam the jury of the Kerala State Film Awards. She called them out for giving the Best Lyricist award to Hirandas Murali, better known as rapper Vedan, who was accused in a rape case earlier this year. She also stated that the jury owed the women of Kerala an apology. (Also Read: Child actor Deva Nandha slams Prakash Raj after he snubs children's categories at Kerala State Film Awards)

Vedan received bail from the court after a case was filed against him in July this year for the alleged rape of a doctor.

Deedi Damodaran slams state awards jury over platforming Vedan

Vedan was given the Best Lyricist award for penning the lyrics of the song Kuthanthram from the 2024 hit Manjummel Boys. The winners of this year’s awards were decided by a jury headed by Prakash Raj. In her Facebook post, Deedi stated that the lines by Vedan, “viyarppu thunnititta kuppayam” (the shirt stitched with sweat), were “magnificent”, but the award was“stained by blood” from the wounds of the victims. She also wrote that no song can erase or conceal that.

Deedi further wrote, “The jury's decision amounts to a breach of trust against the government's policy declarations at the recent film conclave that those who exploit women will not be protected,” adding, “Even if this decision cannot be reversed through legal means, the film jury owes an apology to the women of Kerala for etching such a verdict into the history of cinema.” The screenwriter made her post after Vedan celebrated his win on Instagram by writing the exact lyrics she pointed out.

Sexual assault allegations against Vedan

In 2021, Vedan was accused of alleged sexual misconduct during the MeToo movement. However, no formal complaints were filed. In July this year, a rape case was filed against Vedan at the Thrikkakara police station in Kochi, Kerala. A young doctor accused the musician of sexually assaulting her multiple times between August 2021 and March 2023 under the guise of marriage after they met via social media.

In August, the Kerala High Court granted him anticipatory bail in the case, stating that “labelling physical intimacy as rape after a relationship ceased to exist is illogical and harsh.” He was arrested on record in September and released on bail. In August, a music researcher had also filed a sexual harassment complaint against Vedan, and the Ernakulam Central police registered a case against him. A chargesheet was filed against him in October. In November, the HC amended a previous condition imposed on him, allowing him to travel abroad for work.