Sowmya made it known that while she didn’t publicly reveal the director’s name, she expressed her readiness to identify him to the special police unit set up by the Kerala government.
The increase in reported sexual abuse and rape cases enveloping the Malayalam film industry has sparked consequences in neighboring Tamil Nadu. Renowned South Indian actress, Sowmya, bravely spoke out about her traumatic experiences with a Tamil director. She recounts enduring terrifying incidents of mental, physical, and sexual harm, including a deeply shocking account of being violated with a rod for mere ‘entertainment’.
In a recent interview with NDTV, Sowmya disclosed her troubling experiences with a director whose identity she prefers to withhold for now. She shared how she was duped into a degrading situation where she was treated like a sex object. The director initially appeared harmless when he introduced himself and his wife to an 18-year-old Sowmya, pretending to be a father figure. However, his disturbing wish to father a child with her was later revealed.
She carried on, sharing how the director had taken advantage of her in what amounted to sexual assault on numerous occasions during her vulnerable college years. The misuse didn’t stop there but rather continued after she entered the Malayalam film industry. Despite gracing the screen in three major movies in the 1990s, Sowmya disclosed that the improper treatment only extended further.
Sowmya boldly conveyed her plans to reveal the identity of the man under scrutiny to a special police team. Organized by the Kerala government, this team is concurrently investigating several cases of sexual assault within Malayalam’s film industry.
Sowmya conveyed how her family fell under intense pressure to allow her to act. The director made her father aware of the substantial amount of money already put into her screen test. Initially, Sowmya was not particularly comfortable with the director’s approach but felt obligated to carry on with the project.
Sowmya opened up about her disturbing encounter with a director who initially made her feel like his own “daughter.” His own flesh and blood accused him of horrific deeds, yet he denied it all. This pretense made Sowmya trust the couple, who showered her with meals and affectionate gestures. The circumstances took a terrible turn into sexual abuse – the director took advantage of his wife’s absence to kiss her, all the while still calling her his “daughter”. Suffocated by shame, Sowmya found it difficult to share her painful experience with her friends.
She said, “One of my co-stars, who sexually abused me, has been named in the Hema Committee report. Directors, actors, and technicians also abused me(sic).” She further added, “It took me 30 years to heal and recover from the shame. I encourage other survivors to come forward and report their experiences (sic).”
The world of Malayalam cinema is currently grappling with several sexual misconduct allegations in the wake of the recent publication of the Justice Hema Committee’s report. Prominent figures in the industry, including Mukesh, a well-respected actor and serving MLA from the ruling CPM party, find themselves amid a storm of sexual abuse allegations.
