Actors Suriya and Prabhas, who predominantly work in Tamil and Telugu films, respectively, recently extended their support to the female actor who was abducted and sexually assaulted in 2017.
With big-budget films releasing in theatres again, celebrities from across industries are travelling to different cities for promotions. Earlier this week, both Suriya and Prabhas were in Kochi, to promote their films Etharkkum Thuninthavan and Radhe Shyam, respectively. When the two actors were asked about their take on the 2017 assault case during media interactions, they spoke in support of the survivor.
Suriya said that although he was not aware of all the details of the case, he wished to extend his support to the survivor. “Whatever has happened is extremely unfair. It cannot happen to women in our society, that too in these modern times. We must ensure that such things do not happen again,” he added.
Prabhas, on the other hand, when asked about his view on the case and what he thought about the survivor’s fight for justice, noted that it is essential for everyone to support women. “Not just actors, businessmen or the media, but everyone should support women,” he said.
On February 17, 2017, a female actor, who predominantly works in Malayalam and Kannada cinema, was abducted and sexually assaulted by a gang of men in a moving car en route to Kochi from Thrissur. Malayalam actor Dileep is currently facing trial as the chief conspirator behind the incident.
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In January this year, breaking her long silence, the survivor publicly opened up for the first time, through her official social media account. In the Instagram post, the survivor extended her gratitude to all those who have supported her. Later that same day, stalwarts of the Malayalam film industry, Mammootty and Mohanlal, shared the survivor’s post on their Instagram pages. Mammootty had written, “With you,” while Mohanlal said, “Respect.”
However, the star actors’ “late reaction” to the actor assault case drew criticism from social media users. Further, Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an organisation of women working in the Malayalam film industry, expressed disappointment that this support wasn’t forthcoming to the survivor when she needed it the most. WCC urged for more consequential action from the film fraternity. Actor Rima Kallingal noted that merely re-sharing social media posts was doing “too little, too late.”