Dileep row: Women in Cinema Collective seeks urgent AMMA meet

Agencies
June 28, 2018

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 28: Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) on Thursday demanded an emergency executive meeting of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) to discuss the row over the decision to take back actor Dileep into its fold.

Dileep, an accused in the case of alleged sexual assault of a south Indian actress in February 2017, was behind bars for over 80 days and is presently out on bail.

After the incident, Dileep had been removed from the association's primary membership.

But in a sudden move, AMMA reinstated his membership last Sunday, triggering widespread protests.

The actress, who was assaulted, had resigned on Wednesday with three others too putting in their papers in solidarity with her.

In a letter to AMMA today, prominent actors -- Revathy, Parvathy and Padmapriya, who are members of the collective of women in Malayalam film industry, demanded that AMMA convene a meeting immediately to examine the desirability of Dileep's reinstatement.

"We are writing this letter to express our concern as women members of AMMA on the recent decision to bring back the expelled member (Dileep) in the general body meeting held on July 24.

At this meeting, a very crucial decision was taken regarding a member who had been expelled due to his involvement in the alleged assault of one of the AMMA's women members," the letter said.

"Considering the gravity of the circumstances and the matter being sub-judice, it is shocking that such an important matter was decided without listing it on the agenda or being discussed among all members prior to the meeting," they said in the letter posted on the WCC Facebook page on Thursday.

They said AMMA had publicly pledged full support to the member who survived the assault.

But the decision to reinstate the expelled member, who is now a charge-sheeted suspect, goes against AMMA's promise to the survivor.

State ministers, G Sudhakaran, J Mercykutty Amma and Kerala Women's Commission Chairperson M C Josephine too came out in support of the stand taken by the actors who resigned yesterday from AMMA.

They also took exception to the supportive stand taken by the two left MLAs -- K B Ganesh Kumar, Mukesh -- and MP Innocent, all members of the association, on the matter.

In a scathing attack on AMMA, Josephine today said the film body's "decision" to take back Dileep, who is an accused in the case of actor's sexual assault, was "not right."

Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said AMMA's decision showed the 'misogynistic attitude' of the Malayalam film industry in its worst form, while Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty said those who have done wrong should be punished, however high they may be, and the government was always with the victim.

Lashing out at Dileep, PWD Minister G Sudhakaran said he was 'arrogance personified' and alleged a lobby was controlling the Malayalam film industry.

Senior Congress leader V M Sudheeran said AMMA's decision was akin to questioning the legal system.

"This is a very wrong decision and should be rectified as soon as possible by the office bearers."

The actress, who was sexually assaulted in a moving car last year, had resigned from AMMA yesterday alleging that the organisation had not stood by her during the crisis.

The actor, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was allegedly abducted and molested in her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017, and later escaped in a busy area.

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News Network
April 2,2020

New Delhi, Apr 2: After donating to UNICEF to combat COVID-19, actor Kareena Kapoor Khan on Thursday announced that she will also contribute to PM-CARES Fund and Maharashtra's CM Relief Fund along with her husband Saif Ali Khan and son Taimur Ali Khan.

Kareena made the announcement through an Instagram post and also urged others to do their bit by doing whatever is possible.

"We extend our support to the PM CARES Fund and the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (Maharashtra)," read an official statement post by Kareena on Instagram.

"In times like these, every helping hand and every rupee raised matters. Do Help wherever possible," the statement further read.

However, the amount of donation hasn't been revealed in the post.

The star couple has joined a list of celebrities including Akshay Kumar, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal and others who too have extended support to PM CARES Fund to fight against coronavirus.

Earlier on March 31, the 'Jab We Met' actor had announced their contribution to UNICEF, GIVE INDIA and the International Association of Human Values (IAHV).

There are 1764 active coronavirus cases in the country, while 150 people have been cured and 50 have died, as per the Union Health Ministry. 

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News Network
June 19,2020

Mumbai, Jun 19: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s memories will continue to be celebrated as Instagram has memorialised his account, adding “remembering” to his bio.

Rajput, 34, known for films like "Kai Po Che!", "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story", "Chhichhore", was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday, sending shockwaves in the film industry and elsewhere.

Days after his untimely demise, Instagram added “remembering” to his account bio and memorialised it as a place to remember the actor’s life.

According to the photo-video sharing website, no one can log into a memorialised account. The posts the deceased person shared, including photos and videos, stay on their page and are visible to the users they were shared with.

Also, once the account is memorialised, no one will be able to make changes to any of the existing posts or information.

The actor’s last post on the social media platform was a tribute to his late mother on June 3.

Rajput’s death is being investigated by the Mumbai Police and so far statements of over 13 people, including actor’s family members and close friends, including actor Rhea Chakraborty and casting director Mukesh Chhabra, have been recorded.

The police have also sent a letter to Yash Raj Films seeking details of the contracts it had signed with him.

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Agencies
February 29,2020

Ernakulam, Feb 29: A court here on Friday issued a bailable arrest warrant against Malayalam actor Kunchacko Boban for failing to appear before it for witness examination in an assault case filed by an actress.

Ernakulam Additional Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese issued the arrest warrant.

As per the court's direction, Boban can take bail from police station and appear before court on March 4.

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