'It was film set of well-known couple, harassment turned even to rape'; vintage Malayalam actress makes shocking revelation

A former Malayalam actress has come forward revealing her harrowing experiences in the film industry. The actress, who made her entry into films in the late 1980s, acted in a few notable Malayalam films before quitting the industry. In an interview with a national media outlet, she spoke candidly about her negative experiences in the film industry.

"I was 18 years old then, a first-year college student. I came from a family with no film background. I was living in a fantasy world. I first went for the screen test of a Tamil film. It was a film by a well-known couple in the industry. A few days later, I was informed that I had been selected," the actress said.

"My family wasn't interested in me acting. However, the makers pressured me into it, saying that much money had been spent on my screen test. I signed up thinking that the wife was directing the film. However, that was only on paper. The husband was the one who directed the film. I told the wife that I had issues working with them, and she immediately informed her husband about this. After that, he stopped talking to me. He used to get angry at me during filming. Later, when I started to follow his instructions, he became friendly towards me. They were gradually taking control of me," she said.

"They showed me great affection. They used to call me daughter and buy me milkshakes and other things. I felt a freedom at their place that I didn't have at my own home. I thought that I was like a daughter to them. They have a daughter of my age, and she is also in the film industry, so I didn't feel anything unusual. Actually, that girl was not his own daughter. She was the daughter from his wife's first marriage. That child had left the house after alleging sexual misconduct against him. At that time, he and his wife said that the child was talking nonsense," she said.

"One day, he kissed me when his wife was not around. I was frozen in shock. I couldn't tell anyone about it. I thought it was my fault. The harassment increased day by day, eventually leading to rape," the actress revealed.