Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan booked for harassment over actress's allegations

Elamakkara Police have filed a case against filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, the director of Kayattam, under multiple sections of the BNS for alleged stalking, criminal intimidation, and defamation.

Renowned Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan has been charged with harassment after a prominent actress accused him of troubling her on a social media platform, according to police reports on Tuesday.

Elamakkara Police have filed a case against filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, the director of Kayattam, under multiple sections of the BNS for alleged stalking, criminal intimidation, and defamation. The case was filed after an actress lodged a complaint on Monday. In a Facebook post, Sasidharan had claimed that the lives of the actress and her daughter were under threat and controversially shared a copy of the FIR filed against him, alleging that someone else had submitted the complaint in the actress's name.

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, the filmmaker behind Kayattam, had previously been arrested and released on bail in May 2022 following a complaint from the same actress who has now filed another case against him. The earlier complaint accused Sasidharan of blackmailing the actress and tarnishing her reputation on social media platforms. Sources have revealed that Sasidharan has been residing in the United States for some time.

In response to this, Kochi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya stated on Tuesday that the authorities will take all necessary legal steps and measures against Sasidharan if he remains abroad.

The Police Commissioner mentioned that actions would be taken to remove Sasidharan's Facebook post, as it allegedly contained defamatory material. He also noted that the victim has the option to directly approach Facebook to request the removal of the post containing the alleged harmful content.