Actor Dileep's Arrest Uncovers The Dark Underbelly of Malayalam Cinema

Actor Dileep’s arrest uncovers the dark underbelly of Malayalam cinema

- Jeemon Jacob

When Malayalam superstar Dileep was brou­ght to the Aluva sub­jail near Kochi after his arrest, the waiting mob chanted, “Welcome to Central Jail,” the title of a 2016 movie he starred in that would come to haunt him a year later. The arrest capped five months of investigations into a sordid case, where a contract goon kidnapped and sexually abused a popular actress. The case shocked Kerala and became another challenge for an already embattled state police and the Pinarayi Vijayan government.

While the arrest comes as a major victory for the victim and her family, it is also a much­needed boost for the Kerala police, whose image had taken a beating after a series of goof­ ups in high­profile cases. The arrest came as a big blow to the Malayalam actors’ guild, AMMA, which had stood by Dileep, its major fund­raiser. It also sent tremors through the Mala­yalam film industry—where 119 movies were made in 2016— and exposed the slimy underbelly of the star­driven industry.