A young actor and model has alleged that actor Siddique misbehaved with her in 2016. The actor wrote a post on Facebook about the incident which allegedly happened in Thiruvananthapuram after a preview of Siddique's film Sukhamariyathe. The actor, who was 21 years old at the time, has alleged that Siddique made ‘verbal sexual offerings’ to her. She has acted in Rajesh Touchriver's Telugu-Odiya film Patnagar, and had earlier raised allegations of sexual harrasment against the director.
On a call with TNM, the survivor-actor says that her Facebook is now full of abusive comments, just as it happens every time a woman speaks up and fans associations of powerful men become aggressive.
“The comments are accusing me of trying to become famous by posting such allegations. I don’t understand how fame comes into the picture. Another question I have been asked is why I had taken so long to reveal this. It is not easy to open up. Even when I had posted about the harassment I faced from director Rajesh Touchriver earlier, I found it difficult to open up about Siddique,” she says.
In 2016, the actor had not yet taken up acting professionally, and was still a student. Siddique had contacted her to talk about an offer in a Tamil movie that would feature his son, she says.
“After the preview of his film Sukhamariyathe at Nila Theatre, he asked me to come to the Mascot Hotel to discuss this offer. Straight away, he asked if I was ready for ‘adjustments’. It is sad that this word should have such a meaning in the film industry. I asked him what he meant and he became explicit in his demands, describing his sexual fantasies as liking women with long fingernails. When he realised that it was not going to work, he told me to do whatever I wanted, he didn’t care. He said that I could do nothing because he was that powerful. And the comments I am getting now simply prove what he said," she claims.
Her post on Tuesday was triggered by a video of Siddique and actor KPAC Lalitha making pro Dileep statements and speaking against the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) at a press conference last year.
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“I've watched it before. But when I watched it again now, I felt it was just pointless to remain silent any more. The WCC is an organisation that gives a lot of strength to its members like me. I hadn’t even shared this experience with them. And I am lucky to have got parents who are supportive. Even with all this support, if I find it so difficult to open up, imagine the plight of the women who are not so privileged," she says.
A few young women have privately contacted her to share similar experiences after seeing her post on Siddique, she further claims.
“It doesn’t matter when you feel ready to open up – be it 20 years or 30 years after the traumatic experience you go through. The truth is still the truth,” she says.
We have asked Siddique for a reponse, and will update if he gets back to us.
Note: The name of the survivor in this story has been redacted and her photo removed on August 28, 2024, after she filed a police complaint alleging sexual assault by actor Siddique.