After #MeToo, What Changed? | Kochi News

In Malayalam Cinema, Scandals Come And Go. For The Women Who Named Their Abusers, The Consequences Are PermanentNine years after the 2017 actress assault case cracked open Malayalam cinema’s culture of silence, the industry finds itself circling back to a story it thought it had outgrown. In Kochi, a young actor walks off a film set and into a police station, naming Ranjith Balakrishnan, filmmaker, power centre, and former Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman. By March 31, 2026, he was remanded to judicial custody and granted bail 10 days later. On paper, this is progress: Complaints are filed, and arrests follow. The machinery of accountability, long demanded, is finally visible. And yet, the sense of déjà vu is hard to ignore. Ranjith has weathered allegations before, stepping aside only to return through new projects and collaborations with figures like Mammootty and Manju Warrier. He continues to remain professionally sought after, even as others around him quietly lose work. The pattern is clear: The powerful survive, while those who speak are sidelined. The contrast is striking: Men accused of misconduct continue to access roles, capital, and visibility. Another actor-producer, Vijay Babu, who is facing sexual assault charges, is simultaneously headlining success as Aadu 3 crosses the Rs 100 crore mark. Several others tied to the film carry allegations of verbal abuse, sexual misconduct, and domestic violence. Yet their spotlight doesn’t dim; it only burns brighter across platforms.For the women who spoke, consequences are immediate. Work thins, calls stop, rooms grow colder. They vanish from public memory as professionals, reduced to labels: “the survivor” or “the victim.” Between those identities lies the uneasy truth of #MeToo in Malayalam cinema. Over the years, some have left quietly. Others move across industries, or begin again from the edges, smaller roles, digital spaces, intermittent work stitched together to stay visible. Not by choice, but by necessity. A survivor, whose case is before the court, calls it not a fight for justice, but a test of endurance. “I literally have zero work now,” she says. “I go for auditions, get selected, and then lose it days later. No reason is given.” Nothing here is accidental. It is systemic. The distance is created. The silence is organized. What follows is not just isolation, but erasure. “His friends and supporters call me, asking me to withdraw the case. Some are even offered roles to speak on his behalf. On one side, there is manipulation. On the other, I am just trying to survive.” Even following her own case has become difficult. “I’m not in the mental state to track where the case stands,” she says. “I had to focus on surviving before fighting. The process feels longer than the incident. But I don’t regret speaking up and dreaming of becoming an actor.” Outcomes remain uneven. The accused, some exposed online and others facing cases, continue working. Among them are Siddique, M Mukesh, Jayasurya, Baburaj, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu, V K Prakash, Sajin Babu and Alencier Ley Lopez.M Mukesh continued as an MLA and actor after being chargesheeted, while Jayasurya remains active, his past overshadowed by Aadu 3 and Kathanar. Dileep, following his 2025 acquittal, has returned with new projects, while Siddique continues to work while on bail. The industry absorbs scandal faster than it enforces accountability. Public memory moves quicker than legal timelines. Allegations may interrupt reputations but rarely end them. The cases reveal systemic gaps. Several allegations were never formally registered. In June 2025, the Kerala govt informed the high court that investigations linked to the Hema Committee report, which had resulted in 34 cases, had been closed. The SIT ended many probes due to lack of witness cooperation and evidence, exposing the limits of institutional follow-through. For those on the other side, the contrast is stark. Actor and Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) founding member Sajitha Madathil, did not receive a single film last year. “We are all exhausted. The burden to prove and explain still falls on the victim, not the perpetrators. The Hema Committee gave many of us closure for our early years. What we need now is change.” Since the 2017 assault, the industry, after WCC’s intervention, has introduced internal complaints committees (ICCs), following a high court directive. “The ICC we fought for years to establish must now be questioned for its reliability. Namesake committees are often formed with people close to those in power,” she says. For instance, Ranjith’s legal counsel includes an advocate who served on the ICC for the very film where the assault allegedly occurred. This effectively weaponizes the safety mechanism against the survivor. The defense argued the complaint was fabricated, linked to professional disagreements over roles and screen time. “Even the phone numbers of ICC members don’t work. When the external ICC member appeared in court representing the accused, where are we now?” she asks. There is, however, a subtle shift, slow and uneven, but real. Screenwriter and WCC founding member Deedi Damodaran sees speaking out as change. “This young actor going to the police reflects years of resistance,” she says. The most visceral sign of change came in August 2025, when Shwetha Menon became AMMA’s first woman president, backed by a historic female-led executive committee, bringing women into the 31-year-old association that might have never imagined female office bearers. “Being a survivor myself, I’m not very optimistic about society,” she says. “As an individual, I support the actor. But as AMMA president, we follow bylaws. Only written complaints from members can be acted upon.” Following the allegations, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) suspended Ranjith Balakrishnan. General secretary B Unnikrishnan says the industry is evolving, with stronger labour support and a push for ICCs. “I won’t deny women who spoke out might not be getting enough work,” he says. “But men like Shine Tom Chacko and Sreenath Bhasi have also faced setbacks.” Two tracks run side by side, worlds apart. Ranjith’s film with Prakash Varma, largely shot, with a Mammootty cameo, is planned to resume soon. Superstars and heritage characters cushion his reputation; production marches on, indifferent to allegations. For the survivor, the future is uncertain, silent phones, ‘restructured’ scripts, vanishing opportunities. She fights to exist in an industry that often writes her out.