Many prominent members of the Malayalam industry including actors, directors, producers and technicians have protested the actions of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) in a press statement after the organisation made the unanimous decision of reinstating actor Dileep, the prime accused in the actress assault case.
Actors Revathy, Parvathy, Padmapriya, Vinayakan, Sajitha Madathil, directors Rajeev Ravi, Dileesh Pothan, Venu, Aashiq Abu, Amal Neerad, Anwar Rasheed, and many others have signed the statement. The members declared their solidarity for the assaulted actress and also demanded that the elected AMMA members step down if they're not willing to part with their misogynist ways.
When Express reached out to Rajeev Ravi, he said: "This was a spontaneous reaction to everything that has happened in the past few weeks. This was not a calculated response or a revolution or anything. We don't know where this will lead to. First of all, what provoked me is their inhumane attitude. And this is not about whether Dileep is guilty or not -- that is up to the courts to decide -- but as human beings, we have a basic responsibility to look out for a colleague and make her feel comfortable. If they are not capable of doing that, they don't deserve any respect."
The director also added: "I'm glad that the people in Kerala have taken this in a positive light. I'm proud of the public's stand on this issue. It's not about the superstars anymore. It's about what is right. They're standing by the actress."
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