Back in August, Malayalam cinema was rocked by the barrage of sexual assault allegations levelled against some important names of the industry. The accusations were made in the wake of the release of the Justice Hema Committee Report, which elaborated on the plight of women in Malayalam cinema. At that time, an actress came forward with complaints of sexual harassment against actor Jayasurya. The actor, who was in the USA then, had categorically denied all the allegations, and expressed his concern about the impact of such fake complaints on people close to him. Now, Jayasurya, who has been co-operating with the authorities investigating the case, met the press to talk about these allegations.

“There have been two fake allegations against me. I’m not sure why the complainant, who first denied it was me who apparently did these things, went on to name me in her allegation,” said Jayasurya, who also put forth his side of arguments about why these incidents of sexual harassment never happened. “She said the unforgettable incident happened in 2013 on the sets of Pigman in Thodupuzha. But, the film was wrapped up in 2011, and it was shot in Koothaatthukulam. Next, she spoke about a certain incident that happened in the secretariat in 2008. First, we only got 2 hours permission to shoot the song cuts, that too outside the place. So, how did she enter the second floor?” argued Jayasurya.

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He went on to point out that such fake allegations take away from the seriousness of the issue. “In the light of such fake allegations, many voices that are sincere and true get silenced. I would fight these claims till the very end,” said Jayasurya, who expressed his concern for other people who would be facing such situations. “This can happen to anyone. At least, the media is giving me space for explaining my side. What about others? What will happen to his family? Won’t his image get shattered. Let this be the last time this happens. Let me be the living martyr in this case.” 

Jayasurya added that a formal arrest hasn’t been recorded, and it is a case that didn’t even require him to file for an anticipatory bail. However, he refused to answer questions about the veracity of the allegations, and his responses to the same. “I can’t tell what I said inside (to the authorities). I can’t disclose everything. All I would like to say is that I am completely denying all these baseless allegations.”

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Apart from Jayasurya, many other names were revealed by various survivors. There was an allegation levied against Nivin Pauly, who met the press on the same day to refute these claims. There were also cases registered against actors Siddique, Mukesh and Edavela Babu, and director Ranjith.