Published 11:54 IST, September 6th 2024
Vineeth Sreenivasan And Bhagath Manuel Defend Nivin Pauly In Sexual Assault Case, Share Evidence
#MeToo In Mollywood: Nivin Pauly is fighting for justice after being booked by Kerala police for sexually assaulting a woman in Dubai last year.
#MeToo In Mollywood: Nivin Pauly has been accused of sexual abuse by a woman, but the actor denied the charges and called them "baseless". He issued a statement the same day he was booked by Kerala Police and vouched to prove his innocence. On Thursday, the actor filed a countercase to probe the allegations. Now, his industry friends are extending support by becoming an alibi that the actor was in India busy shooting for his projects.
For the unversed, the woman has accused Nivin and five others that she was sexually assaulted by them in Dubai last year.
Varshangalkku Shesham co-star Bhagath Manuel challenges the claims against Nivin Pauly
Taking to his Instagram handle, Bhagath shared a photo proving that Nivin was filming with him from December 14 to December 15. The photo seems to be from a shoot location in Kochi for the movie Varshangalkku Shesham, which released in April this year. "December 14th from 8:00 am to 15 pm 'Vineedettan, Nivin and I were together till 3 am, pictures are the proof," read the caption.
It’s clear her allegations are false: Director Vineeth Sreenivasan
Before Bhagath, Varshangalkku Shesham director Vineeth, in an interview, shared that Navin was in Kochi shooting for a movie. He confirmed that they were together in ABAD Nucleus Mall until 3:00 AM on December 15 and from there Nivin went to the sets of his series Pharma which was also in Kerala . "Nivin was with us filming in Kochi on December 14 and 15 2023, the days the woman claims to have been abused. It’s clear her allegations are false," he said in an interview with Reporter Live.
"If you do some fact-checking, you will find that we booked a hotel under Nivin’s name in Kochi and filmed scenes with Nivin on stage surrounded by people. All of this can be easily verified. This shows that her allegations aren't true," the director added.
Nivin Pauly says 'I don't know that girl'
Addressing a press conference in Kerala on Tuesday, the Malayalam actor said that he will go to any extent to fight for justice. "I saw the news just now. I don't know that girl, and I haven't seen her. This is a baseless allegation. The news is affecting us because I have a family," Pauly said. "I called for this press conference at this time because I am 100 per cent sure that I am not at fault. An FIR has been registered, and I will handle the case according to the law and will fight against it. I will go to any extent to prove the truth. This will take time," he added.
Nivin Pauly's statement has come amid the ongoing #MeToo movement in the Malayalam film industry where prominent figures are also been facing sexual misconduct charges. Celebs like Siddique, Ranjith, Mukesh M and Jayasurya have been booked by Kerala police under sexual misconduct charges.
Updated 11:54 IST, September 6th 2024