On Monday, an Indian court cleared a film star of criminal charges linked to a notorious case involving the rape and abduction of an actress.
The same day, several others were found guilty in the case that shook South India’s Mollywood film industry in 2017, prompting investigations into widespread sexual harassment in the male-dominated sector.
Mollywood actor Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, known as Dileep, was arrested in 2017 for allegedly masterminding the assault, charges he denied.
He spent three months in jail before being granted bail.
Judge Honey M. Varghese delivered the verdict in a Kerala trial court on Monday, acquitting Dileep but convicting six others for crimes including rape, conspiracy, and abduction, as reported by Live Law news.
“The true conspiracy was against me,” Dileep, 58, told reporters, with his remarks broadcast by local media.
The victim, whose identity is protected by Indian law, can appeal the decision in a higher court.
Reports indicate the actress was abducted and assaulted while traveling to dub for a film.
Mollywood is renowned for films with strong, progressive themes, differing from the musical numbers of Bollywood, based in Mumbai.
Dileep emerged as a major box-office attraction in Malayalam cinema in the 2000s with hits like “Meesa Madhavan.”
The industry produces up to 200 films annually, adored by southern India’s 37 million Malayalam speakers and audiences nationwide and abroad.
The case led the state government to form a panel to probe gender bias and sexual harassment in Malayalam cinema.
Bina Paul, film editor and Women in Cinema Collective co-founder, said the verdict was unsurprising.
“Such situations highlight the difficulty of this struggle,” she told AFP.
“The judgment reflects societal attitudes towards women and may impact whether women come forward with their stories.”
The government panel’s report last year revealed widespread sexual harassment faced by women actors.
Those considering speaking out faced threats to their lives and families, the report noted.
