Dileep’s arrest will change the equations in the Malayalam film industry.
His life has all the ingredients of a blockbuster—an affair with a popular actress at the beginning of the career; back-to-back hit movies and super stardom after a few years of struggle; a business empire that he built from scratch; a bitter divorce after allegations of an affair with another actress; a second marriage. But on July 10, the world that Dileep created around him with ruthless efficiency fell apart.
The Malayalam superstar was arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in the rape of a leading actress. The police said Dileep, 49, had given a contract to a driver, Sunil kumar—also known as Pulsar Suni for his fascination with Bajaj Pulsar bikes—to abduct the actress and take her obscene photos and videos. The motive, said the police, was to sabotage her impending marriage to a Kannada film producer.
The actress was close to Dileep’s first wife, actress Manju Warrier, and she had reportedly encouraged Manju to file the divorce petition. The police said he wanted to take revenge. After a few failed attempts, the actress was abducted on February 17 and sexually assaulted for hours in a moving car. She was dropped off near actor-producer Lal’s house in Kochi.
Things went off the script after this, as the case was immediately reported to the police thanks to the intervention by P.T. Thomas, Congress MLA, and the presence of mind of the actress. The police said the conspirators had not expected this. Pulsar Suni was arrested within a week as he tried to surrender in a court.
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