Malayalam actor Alencier Ley Lopez, who was named in last year’s #MeToo movement by Divya Gopinath, issued a public apology. The actress accepted Alencier’s apology and thanked those who stood by her.
Alencier, in his apology, said, “I hereby apologise again to her for my mistake. I am sorry for my behaviour. My apology is not just to Divya but to all my colleagues who were hurt because of my behaviour.”
“I am not a saint. I am a human being and like everyone else, I too make mistakes. The only way out is to empathise with those who were hurt, accept the mistake and repent my deed. I have also taken my wife and children into confidence about this,” the actor was quoted by ToI.
Divya Gopinath, during a recent interview, had said that she needed a public apology from Alencier. Following this, Alencier called her up and apologized but she insisted that he do it publicly.
“After Divya’s interview was published, I spoke to her. Our conversation was a friendly one and she reiterated that she needs a public apology and only that would bring closure to the controversy. I too felt I need to do this,” said Alencier.
In her response, the actress said she accepted the apology if it was genuine. Calling it a small step in the healing process, The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) said the apology was a small compensation for the humiliation and insecurity that a woman went through. “WCC condemns any form of sexual harassment and bullying, but this gesture of apology is one step in the healing process. Recognition of the inappropriateness and repulsive nature of such acts is essential. We hope this owning up of misbehaviour is a deterrent to such acts in future,” wrote WCC on Facebook.
തൊഴിലിടത്ത് അപമര്യാദയായി പെരുമാറിയതിന് ഞങ്ങളുടെ സഹപ്രവർത്തക ദിവ്യ ഗോപിനാഥിനോട് നടൻ അലൻസിയർ മാപ്പു പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുകയാണ്….
Posted by Women in Cinema Collective on Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Divya Gopinath had faced harassment from Alencier during the shooting of Aabhasam. The actress opened up about her experience initially through an anonymous blog and later on through a Facebook video. Following the allegations, filmmakers like Aashiq Abu vowed not to work with Alencier, reported Mathrubhoomi.
Finally, managed to talk to my parents. They will stand rock solid with me. Time to end anonymity. The actress who wrote this letter to India Protests is me.https://twitter.com/protestingindia/status/1051729867644030976
A D V E R T I S E M E N TPosted by Divya Gopinath on Tuesday, October 16, 2018
The actress has also said that she has been facing dwindling opportunities ever since she spoke out during the movement. “I only have one project at the moment, which is Virus, directed by Aashiq Abu. And yes, revealing the experience had an effect on my career. I had played the lead in movies like Ayal Sashi and as of now, all I have is one film in my kitty,” said the actress.
Image Courtesy: India Today
