The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) has drawn ire from the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) for allowing actor and director Vijay Babu, accused of rape by a junior actress, to attend its general meeting on Sunday .
WCC secretary and scriptwriter Deedi Damodaran said AMMA’s action was unfortunate and highly deplorable. She said the actress complained to police that the actor repeatedly raped her when he offered her roles in his new movies.
Babu had gone into hiding in Dubai after the police complaint and only returned to Kerala after securing early bail. The actor bristled the COE after attending the general assembly of the association, of which he is a member.
In a related development, Malayalam actress Swetha Menon, who was a member of AMMA’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), and who resigned from the committee over the issue of Babu’s continued membership in the organization after that the police had registered a rape case against him, was also present throughout the general assembly.
Clarifying the position of the association, Edavela Babu, actor and secretary general of AMMA, said that Vijay Babu continues to be a member of the organization because his case is pending and the court has not yet rendered a verdict. against the actor.
Meanwhile, Shammy Tilakan, who was kicked out of the organization, told the media he had done nothing wrong to deserve the action taken against him. He said he responded to the accusations against him in writing to AMMA chairman, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, but got no response.
He said he was expelled from AMMA because the organization still resented his father, the late legendary Malayalam actor, Tilakan. Tilakan added that he had information that Mammooty, the other Malayalam superstar, had backed his continuation in the organization at the general meeting.
[With Inputs from IANS]
