‘Door Was Locked; I Was Helpless’

‘I
had
sought
help
but
did
not
receive
any
support.
Nobody
was
there.’

In
a
shocking
revelation,
actress
Revathy
Sampath
has
publicly
accused
prominent
Malayalam
actor
Siddique,
who
also
serves
as
general
secretary
of
the
Association
of
Malayalam
Movie
Artists
(AMMA),
of
sexual
misconduct.

The
allegations,
made
by
Sampath,
have
sent
shock
waves
through
the
Malayalam
film
industry
and
prompted
significant
reactions
on
social
media.

In
an
interview
with
ANI,
Sampath
detailed
her
troubling
experience
with
Siddique
began
when
she
was
in
her
late
teens.

She
described
how
Siddique
initially
approached
her
through
a
seemingly
fictitious
social
media
account.

“I
got
in
contact
with
actor
Siddique
during
my
10+2
time.
He
used
to
message
me
from
an
account
that
looked
fake
and
he
was
in
contact
with
me
for
two
years
and
used
to
address
me
as
‘daughter’.
He
got
to
know
that
I
am
interested
in
acting
and
he
must
have
planned
everything,”
Sampath
alleged.

Sampath
detailed
how
Siddique’s
professional
demeanour
took
a
disturbing
turn.

She
explained
that
during
a
meeting
under
the
pretence
of
discussing
a
film
opportunity,
Siddique’s
behaviour
allegedly
became
sexually
aggressive.

“Everything
looked
professional
at
first…after
some
discussion,
all
of
a
sudden
his
conversation
turned
sexual
and
by
the
time
I
realised
it
was
a
trap,
the
door
was
locked…I
was
helpless
and
I
was
scared,”
she
said.

Sampath
described
how
Siddique
allegedly
physically
assaulted
her
and
threatened
her
with
damage
to
her
career
if
she
spoke
out
about
the
incident.

“I
had
sought
help
but
did
not
receive
any
support.
Nobody
was
there.
No
support
groups
were
there
for
me…It’s
not
like
I
haven’t
moved
legally
against
this,
I
did
move
legally
once.
But
I
can’t
do
it
again.
If
you
can
give
assurance
that
they
can
give
us
security
and
we
don’t
have
to
pay
the
price
of
our
dreams,
then
we
can
come
forward,”
she
said.

“I
am
ready
to
come
out
with
all
the
evidence.
He
sent
messages
on
Messenger
and
WhatsApp…but
do
we
have
such
security?
I
am
still
coming
back
to
track
on
my
career,”
Sampath
added.

Siddique
is
known
for
his
roles
in
over
300
Malayalam
films
and
several
Tamil
productions,
including

Jana
and

Bhaskar
Oru
Rascal.

The
allegations
come
at
a
tumultuous
time
for
the
Malayalam
film
industry,
which
is
already
grappling
with
the
fallout
from
the
Justice
Hema
Committee
report.

The
report,
which
was
released
to
the
public
on
August
19,
highlighted
systemic
issues
within
the
industry,
particularly
concerning
the
treatment
of
women.

Meanwhile,
Tovino
Thomas
emphasised
the
need
for
accountability
and
justice
during
a
media
interaction.

“Those
who
are
accused
must
step
down.
If
found
guilty,
they
should
be
punished
accordingly.
Wrongdoers
must
face
the
consequences
of
their
actions,”
Thomas
said.

He
underscored
that
the
issue
extends
beyond
the
film
industry,
advocating
for
a
safer
environment
for
women
across
all
workplaces.

“This
isn’t
just
about
our
industry;
women
should
feel
safe
in
every
workplace.
If
I’m
called
upon,
I’m
ready
to
provide
my
statement.
We
have
laws
in
this
country,
and
I
believe
in
this
system
to
ensure
justice
is
served.”

“There
needs
to
be
change
in
workplaces,
not
just
here
but
everywhere
in
the
world.”