'I can never forget the tears on Oduvil Unnikrishnan's face; best wishes to the brave woman who stood up against this sexual predator'

Director Alleppey Ashraf, who is known for sharing lesser-known stories from the film industry through his YouTube channel, has made fresh allegations against director Ranjith, who was recently arrested in a sexual assault case. In his latest video, Ashraf spoke about the incident where Ranjith physically assaulted the late actor Oduvil Unnikrishnan at the location of the film 'Aaram Thampuran.'

“Let us once again look at some unknown truths about director Ranjith, who rose to great heights and then fell badly. This kind of downfall of a top director is rare in Malayalam cinema,” Ashraf said.

He alleged that Ranjith had physically assaulted Oduvil Unnikrishnan over a small joke.

"Ranjith, who was drunk and angry, hit that innocent man and knocked him to the ground over a small joke. I can never forget the tears on Oduvil Unnikrishnan's face when people helped him get up," Ashraf said.

He added that after he revealed this incident earlier, producer G Suresh Kumar contacted him with more details.

“The first person to call me after I revealed this incident through my channel was G Suresh Kumar, the producer of Aaram Thampuran. Suresh told me that Oduvil Unnikrishnan did not fall just because of the hit. Ranjith also kicked him in the stomach. It was the impact of that kick that made him fall. I had not noticed it in the confusion,” Ashraf said.

He further claimed that the actor, who was undergoing treatment for a kidney-related illness at the time, was badly injured.

“It was only by luck that he survived. Because of his helpless situation, he was later forced to act again in films involving Ranjith,” he added.

Ashraf also alleged that Ranjith had assaulted others in the film industry.

“He has attacked several people in the industry. On the sets of the film Pavakkoothu, he slapped and kicked a young man. That man is a renowned producer today. Although he was young then, that poor fellow did not respond and walked away with tears in his eyes," he said.

Praising the survivor in the recent sexual assault case, Ashraf said, “I extend my support and appreciation to the brave woman who stood up against this sexual predator. I stand with her.”