On the night of February 17, 2017, a top female actor in Kerala was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by six hired criminals. Dileep, a superstar actor in Kerala, is alleged to have masterminded the night. The crime initiated in Kerala a Weinstein-scale movement that predated the global #MeToo movement.
In our 11-chapter saga, The News Minute looks at how one night pushed Kerala to the edge, almost to the cusp of a much needed change. Yet, the women did not get the coverage that their counterparts in the West got. Even in India, those outside Kerala knew little about the extent of the rot.
In this conversation, Dhanya Rajendran and Nidhi Suresh talk about what exactly happened, why the case did not get the coverage it deserved, and the process of reporting on this case.