Amid controversies over sex abuse allegations in the Malayalam film industry heating up, a 2018 post by casting director Tess Joseph has resurfaced. She had accused Malayalam actor and CPI(M) MLA Mukesh of constantly harassing her when she was 20 years old.
This comes amid allegations against Malayalam director Ranjith and actor Siddique made headlines following the release of Hema Committee Report. Ranjith resigned as Kerala Film Academy chairman while Siddique quit his position as the general secretary of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists).
In the 2018 post, which was during the height of MeToo campaign, Tess said the incident happened 19 years ago (which would now be around 26 years ago) when she was directing Koteeshwaran show and Mukesh was the host. She alleged that Mukesh continuously called her on the phone in the hotel room and when she did not give in, her room was moved next to Mukesh's room during the next schedule.
She said it was her former boss Derek O'Brien who got her out on the next flight and thanked him in the post. When someone commented in the post, asking if she was referring to the actor Mukesh, she posted the actor's photo.
On Saturday, she posted an Instagram story, saying, "We trust these systems to bring us justice, but when I see endless lawyers lining up to defend the state in West Bengal or the silence of an industry on the Hema Committee Report and it feels like justice isn't even the point anymore, it's just some spectacle where the rules are bent to suit those it power."
"How can I trust that things will get better? Trust? It's become a commodity, something I'm not willing to hand out so easily anymore. That deeply saddens me," she added.