The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an association of women artistes from the Malayalam film industry, has lashed out at the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for taking back actor Dileep into its fold.
In the general body meeting of AMMA , held in Kochi on Sunday, actor Urmila Unni asked whether AMMA would bring Dileep back. After a discussion in which many senior artistes supported his return to the body. Edavela Babu has confirmed to TNM that Dileep’s membership has been accepted.
In response, the WCC has issued a strong statement with seven questions directed at AMMA’s decision. Read the statement below.
If the news of Dileep returning to AMMA is true, then AMMA has to answer a few questions put forth by WCC.
1. Why did AMMA expel him in the first place?
2. If they are reinstating now, then what has changed in the period between his expulsion and now?
3. Don’t you feel there is an anomaly in taking back a rape accused to the association even before the investigation is over?
4. The survivor is also a part of the association, right?
5. Isn’t this decision to reinstate Dileep into the association of which the survivor is still a part of, insulting her?
6. As a democratic organisation, what message does this decision send to the society?
7. As a person whose case is still under investigation, doesn’t this decision challenge the legal system of the land?
Your anti-women decision is being condemned by the WCC who stands with the survivor.
Actor Dileep was removed from Amma on July 11, 2017, despite getting support from different corners of the industry. The decision was taken after Dileep was arrested for his alleged role in the conspiracy which led to the abduction and sexual assault of a prominent woman actor on February 17. With the police claiming that it had got "irrefutable evidence" linking the actor to the conspiracy, the removal of Dileep became unavoidable.