Kochi: A female actress has filed a complaint against actor Baburaj and filmmaker VA Shrikumar, alleging that they sexually exploited her while she was working as a junior artist in the Malayalam film industry. She told Manorama News that she has sent the complaint to DIG Ajitha Begum via email.
The actor said, “Baburaj denied the allegations levelled by me on Monday. Therefore, I decided to lodge a complaint with the Special Investigation Team. DIG Ajita Begum, who is part of the team, contacted me on Monday. I am currently in Gujarat. Since I will not be able to go to Kerala soon, I lodged the complaint through email.”
She said, “The culprits know my identity, so I don't think it is necessary to make it public.” She also said that sexual harassment forced her to leave the film industry.
On Monday, she accused Baburaj of sexually assaulting her at his residence in Aluva in 2019. She further alleged that director Sreekumar sexually assaulted her after inviting her to a hotel room on the pretext of discussing a film role.
Rejecting the allegations, Baburaj, an office-bearer of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), claimed that it was an attempt by vested interests in the film industry to prevent him from becoming AMMA general secretary. Baburaj will replace Siddique who resigned on Sunday amid similar allegations.