Actor Siddique Faces Major Setback in Malayalam Cinema MeToo Controversy

Actor Siddique Faces Major Setback in Malayalam Cinema MeToo Controversy

Accused of rape and criminal intimidation, Siddique is defending himself against charges brought by an actress under sections 376 and 506. He claims she has been harassing him since 2019—making false allegations and inventing incidents. This pattern goes back more than five years: whenever they have claimed any kind of sexual misbehavior, there’s been no proof.

He will say, for instance, that in 2016 alone, together in a cinema, she alleged he had talked inappropriately about wanting sex while watching a movie; nothing came of it. But now things are different. This time she’s leveled such grave accusations with long jail terms attached if convicted: a minimum five-year sentence for rape plus further claims from the same period.

If one part of her latest account is correct—something happened at a different venue later on in their liaison, which amounts to rape—then previous statements cannot also be truthful because both versions of events can’t be right.

One of several recent scandals in the Malayalam movie industry is that against Siddique, who has resigned as secretary-general from AMMA following allegations made against him. These latest claims stem from an investigation instigated by the Kerala government after the assault of a female star in 2017 revealed systemic abuses and harassment suffered by colleagues—findings published just this past year.

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As part of their response to these revelations, state officials announced last week they would create India’s first investigative team composed entirely of women officers to look into complaints against performers or directors.