Malayalam actress Usha says she stopped getting work after she slapped star who misbehaved with her: 'I was sidelined'

Actress Usha, a leading star of the Malayalam cinema in the 90s, has opened up on a disturbing incident of indecent behaviour she faced in the industry three decades ago. Amid a growing wave of allegations of sexual abuse in the industry, Usha has become the latest actress to share her ordeal. The actress did not name her alleged abuser but added that her reaction to the star ended up with her getting no work.

Speaking at a press meet in Kannur recently, Usha recalled that the incident took place years ago during a shoot in Bahrain. Mohanlal was also part of the film and he suggested the team wait in the hall of the hotel while on way to the airport. The actress said that while she was on her way, she was molested by another actor in the elevator.

"As I was taking my luggage to the elevator, the actor who misbehaved with me entered the elevator. He asked if we were going down, and I responded affirmatively. Once the elevator door closed, he behaved very inappropriately with me. I was shocked and immediately hit him in response. By the time the elevator reached the next floor, I was furious and ready to confront him,” Usha recalled.

The actress added that she received support from Mohanlal as well as her co-star Sukumari. She said she informed Mohanlal, affectionately called Lalettan in Malayalam cinema after Sukumari noticed stress on her face. She added, “Actor Sukumari noticed something was wrong and asked me what had happened. I explained everything, including my intention to inform everyone about the incident. Both Lalettan and Sukumari were very supportive. They said that my reaction was justified, and they stood by me.”

However, the actress said that the incident had a negative effect on her career and she stopped getting work. “I was called arrogant because I dared to speak out against a senior actor. Eventually, the offers stopped coming, and I was sidelined,” lamented Usha.

The actress clarified that she was raising the issue again now because a video of the incident had recently emerged and she wanted to address it. “A video of the incident has surfaced now. Some might ask why I’m bringing this up now. I reacted to it immediately at that time, and I'm speaking about it again because it's important for people to know the truth,” added Usha.

Last month, the findings of the Justice Hema Committee on sexual abuse and misogyny in Malayalam cinema were made public. The committee was formed to probe gender imbalance and toxic work conditions in Malayalam film industry in 2017 after the sensational abduction and assault of actress Bhavana. The findings had been submitted to the Kerala government back in 2019 but were made public only this year. Immediately after the findings were made public, a number of actresses from the industry shared their ordeal, naming their alleged abusers. This has led to a spate of FIRs as well as resignations of top talent from Malayalam cinema’s all-powerful actors’ body. The state government has also established an SIT to probe the matter.

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