Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran has responded to allegations regarding his continued work with an accused sexual offender. He stated that the assistant director, who was accused of rape and drugging a junior artiste, was immediately dismissed upon becoming aware of the incident.
The latest allegations involve Mansoor Rasheed, an assistant director on the film "Bro Daddy," starring Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
Prithviraj Sukumaran clarified that he was made aware of the allegations against the assistant director at the beginning of the shooting of his film, "Empuraan". He stated that he immediately asked the accused to present himself to the police and face the law.
"I was made aware of the issue when my chief associate director told me that such a complaint had registered with the police against the said assistant director. This happened in October 2023 at the very beginning of 'Empuraan' filming, a few days into the first schedule," he stated.
A junior artist has accused Mansoor Rasheed, an assistant director on the film "Bro Daddy," of sexually assaulting her during the shoot in Hyderabad in 2021. The junior artist claims that Rasheed spiked her drink and sexually assaulted her in a hotel where the crew was staying. She also alleges that Rasheed used explicit photos to blackmail her. Despite filing a police complaint, the junior artist claims that no action has been taken against Rasheed.
She further stated that later, the assistant director worked on a film called Empuraan with Prithviraj. The actor claimed that upon learning of the incident, he immediately removed Easheed as the assistant director of "Empuraan" and instructed him to surrender to the police.
The junior artist alleges that Rasheed fled his place after she filed a police complaint. Despite the police slapping rape charges on him, Rasheed managed to escape, allegedly with the help of political connections.
Prithviraj Sukumaran has been a vocal supporter of victims of sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry. He was particularly supportive of the actress who was sexually abused in 2017 and even called for an investigation after the release of the Hema Committee report.
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