Forced to watch sexual act: Malayalam actor's big charge against filmmaker

Former Malayalam actor Minu Muneer has claimed that popular director-actor Balachandra Menon forced her to watch sexual act. She had earlier accused seven men, including popular actor Jayasurya, of physical and verbal abuse.

In Short

• Actor Minu Muneer claims filmmaker Balachandra Menon forced her to watch a sexual act
• Muneer previously accused seven men, including Jayasurya, of abuse
• Edavela Babu, actor-MLA Mukesh, and Jayasurya claim that they are innocent

Malayalam actor Minu Muneer has claimed that filmmaker-actor Balachandra Menon forced her to watch a sexual act with others in 2007. Earlier, Minu had accused seven men, including popular actor Jayasurya, of physical and verbal abuse. Following her allegations, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against the accused. In a recent interview with India Today, Muneer also spoke about her experiences and the impact of the Hema Committee report, which prompted her to come forward.

Muneer alleged that Menon forced her to watch group sex in his room in 2007. "There were a few other men sitting and watching. There were three girls and him in the room engaged in it. I walked out of the room. He asked me to sit and watch," she recounted.

Discussing the investigation into her previous charges against several actors, including Jayasurya and CPI(M) MLA Mukesh, Muneer told India Today, "I am very satisfied with the investigation. To see an MLA with so much influence getting arrested is not a simple thing. For me, it was an intuition when the report was published. When the Chief Minister said that we would register cases upon receiving complaints, I felt I should speak about it."

Reflecting on her journey, Muneer expressed her disillusionment with the industry. "I had a lot of dreams, but the industry turned out to be a nightmare for me. It (Hema Committee Report) is a cleansing of not just the industry but our society."

In addition to her allegations, Muneer is facing a POCSO case based on a complaint from her cousin. Reacting to the situation, she said, "She is taking revenge from me because I didn’t help her get offers. How can I help her when I know how the industry is? The opposite parties to me are behind this. It’s a fight that I have to deal with."

Muneer also disclosed that she has received multiple calls from individuals seeking to negotiate a compromise, including one that offered money. "Now I don’t pick calls from unknown numbers," she said.

On September 25, Malayalam actor Edavela Babu was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after he was accused of physical and verbal abuse by Minu Muneer. The actor obtained anticipatory bail in the case.

Muneer, in the last week of August, shared a detailed note on Facebook explaining her ordeal. She wrote, "I am writing to report a series of incidents of physical and verbal abuse I suffered at the hands of 1, Mukesh 2, Maniyanpilla Raju 3, Edavela Babu 4, Jayasurya 5, Adv Chandrasekaran, 6, production controller Noble, and Vichu in the Malayalam film industry (sic)."

"In 2013, I was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by these individuals while working on a project. I tried to cooperate and continue working, but the abuse became unbearable. As a result, I was forced to leave the Malayalam film industry and relocate to Chennai," she continued.

Edavela Babu, actor-MLA Mukesh, and Jayasurya claim that they are innocent.

On August 19, the Hema Committee report was made public, prompting many women to come forward and name their abusers. Following the report, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed, which has been taking in complaints.