Kochi: Veteran Malayalam actor Siddique has stepped down from his position as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), a leading actors’ organization in Kerala, in the wake of rape and sexual assault accusations made by an actress.
Siddique, with a career spanning over 350 films primarily in Malayalam cinema, informed Asianet TV that he has submitted his resignation to AMMA president Mohanlal. He stated that the decision was prompted by the allegations against him and that it would be inappropriate for him to continue in the role. He chose not to comment on the allegations at this time.
The resignation announcement followed a day after an actress publicly restated her allegations of sexual assault and rape, which she had initially shared in a 2019 Facebook post. She claimed that the incident occurred in a hotel in 2016, when she was a newcomer to the industry. She alleged that Siddique had lured her to the hotel under the guise of discussing a film project that did not actually exist, and that she was subsequently sexually assaulted, raped, and physically abused. She described the ordeal as causing her to abandon her dreams and endure significant mental distress.
These allegations against Siddique, who was elected to the general secretary position earlier this year for a three-year term, coincide with the release of the Hema committee report. This report highlighted instances of sexual abuse and harassment experienced by women artists and technicians within the Malayalam film industry.
The committee was formed in 2017, following the high-profile case of an actress being kidnapped and sexually assaulted in a car, allegedly orchestrated by actor Dileep. Dileep is currently facing charges related to criminal conspiracy and evidence tampering, with the trial still ongoing.
The Hema committee report was submitted to the government in 2009, but it took more than four and a half years for its contents to be made public, with certain sections containing harassment and abuse testimonies being censored.
In response to the report, Siddique had previously told media that AMMA welcomed the report and its findings, and that the government should implement its recommendations to improve working conditions in the industry. However, he refuted the existence of a ‘casting couch’ culture in the industry, characterizing the testimonies in the Hema report as ‘isolated incidents’ and dismissing claims of an all-male ‘power group’ that controls the industry.
