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.
Writer, the upcoming Malayalam film starring Jayasurya, will be a mystery drama featuring the actor as a constable, director Ravi Sankar tells Silverscreen India.
March is set to see the release of some notable Malayalam films in theatres, including the much-anticipated Mammooty-starrer Bheeshma Parvam.
Members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) have urged the establishment of an Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) in all arts institutions, following the alleged sexual assault of a first-year student at the School of Drama and Fine Arts, Thrissur by the college dean.
With the decline in Covid-19 cases in Kerala and the subsequent easing of restrictions, the makers of many Malayalam films have announced new release dates. Earlier, many films were postponed indefinitely owing to the surge in cases and consequent shutting down of theatres in some parts of the state.
Amidst the rise in Covid-19 cases in Kerala, many Malayalam films, including the biggies like Salute and Thuramukham, which were slated for theatrical releases, have been postponed indefinitely.
Justice delayed is justice denied. It has been almost five years since a Malayalam female actor was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving car in Kochi. As of today, the trial is still underway, with hundreds of witnesses examined and several major arrests. Accusations and revelations are still being made.
Breaking the silence, the female actor who was abducted and sexually assaulted in February 2017 has 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.
2021 has been a rough year for Kerala’s film industry. Owing to the surging second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2021, the theatres in the state gradually shut down. While some films were pulled down from theatres, releases of other films were postponed. After almost a six month hiatus, the Kerala government permitted the reopening of theatres in the state, from October 25 with a 50% occupancy.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Malayalam cinema did just that in 2021, producing some great films under the stringent restrictions induced by Covid-19.
With 2021 being the year India’s local cinema embraced digital platforms and learnt to thrive away from the theatrical landscape, Malayalam cinema grew manifold in terms of reach. It wasn’t just the films of major OTT powerhouses such as Fahadh Faasil or Prithviraj Sukumaran that were widely watched but also smaller films like #Home, headlined by Indrans, and The Great Indian Kitchen. The latter, interestingly, was initially rejected by several mainstream OTT platforms for its low profile. After it premiered on a new platform NeeStream, it quickly took the social media platforms by storm.
With the film business recovering, the makers of several Malayalam films have announced their theatrical releases in December. Mohanlal’s Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham, the first of these, released on Thursday. Other Malayalam films such as Bheemante Vazhi, Ajagajantharam, and Kunjeldho will be also be hitting cinemas this month.
Vairamuthu, the Tamil poet and lyricist accused of sexual harassment, announced in a video on social media on Saturday that he would be returning the prestigious ONV Literary Award as he did not want to receive the award “amid the controversy”.
The ONV Cultural Academy of Kerala, which conferred Vairamuthu, the Tamil poet, lyricist, and an accused in the #MeToo Movement, with the ONV literary award on Wednesday, will review their decision, the academy said in a statement on Friday.
The people of Lakshadweep have recently begun an online campaign #SaveLakshadweep protesting against the new reforms established by the island’s Administrator Praful Patel that are in direct violation of their rights. The protest gained momentum on Monday after prominent personalities like actor Prithviraj, filmmaker Geetu Mohandas, footballer CK Vineeth voiced their solidarity with the people of Lakshadweep.
KK Shailaja, the former Kerala health minister who gained global recognition for her commendable work in tackling Covid-19, was dropped from the new Cabinet formed under the second term Chief Ministership of Pinarayi Vijayan.
One, the recently-released Malayalam film starring Mammootty, will premiere on Netflix on Tuesday, the film’s director Santhosh Viswanath told Silverscreen India on Monday.
In a scene from Don’s previous film, 1956, Central Travancore, an old man at a toddy parlour rebukes a youngster who said he wanted to live like ‘the birds of the sky’ who don’t sow or reap, “You cannot interpret the holy book the way you like! ” Here, the title Joyful Mystery is a playful reference to the Bible, the part where Virgin Mary comes to know of her pregnancy.
The trial in the case of the abduction and sexual assault of a Malayalam actor will resume in the Additional Special Sessions Court in Ernakulam, after nearly three month. One of the main accused in the case is actor Dileep.
The Kerala government has challenged the High Court’s decision in the Malayalam actor abuse and abduction case, in which Dileep is the eighth accused, by filing a Special Leave Petition with the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The Kerala High Court had earlier dismissed pleas to transfer the trial.
A. Sureshan, the special prosecutor of the abduction and sexual assault case of a female Malayalam actor, resigned on Monday and returned the briefs to the Additional Chief Secretary of the Kerala government, reported Live Law. The resignation comes in the wake of the Kerala High Court’s refusal to transfer the trial to another court.
The Kerala High Court on Friday rejected the plea to transfer the trial in the case of the abduction and sexual assault case of a female Malayalam actor. Malayalam actor Dileep is the accused mastermind in the case.
The court observed that there were no sustainable grounds to transfer the case. The court also rejected the prosecution’s request to stay the case for a week so that it could appeal to the Supreme Court on the basis that it would not be proper.
Justice VG Arun was reported by Bar and Bench as saying, “It goes without saying that unless the Court and the prosecutor work in sync, it will result in either the guilty escaping from the clutches of law or the innocent being punished. I am confident in the endeavour to reach the truth and render justice, the Special Public Prosecutor and the defence lawyers will work in tandem as is expected of them. For the reasons mentioned above, I find no sustainable ground to allow the prayer for transfer. Consequently, the transfer petitions are dismissed.”
Actor Soubin Shahir, who predominantly works in Malayalam films, released the first look poster of his upcoming film American Junction on Sunday. The film is directed by Prem Sreekumar.
After filing a sexual assault case against Malayalam actor Dileep, the victim who was abducted in 2017 and the prosecutors of the case moved the Kerala High Court to transfer the trial to another court. After hearing the plea on Friday, the court said it would hear the matter again on November 2.
Director Aashiq Abu announced his next film Naradhan on Instagram on Sunday and unveiled the poster of the film.