A rape case was registered Tuesday against Malayalam movie star Nivin Pauly after a woman alleged in a complaint that he sexually abused her at a hotel in Dubai last year after promising her a role in a film. Pauly has denied the allegations. The woman, from Ernakulam district, also named five others, including a producer, in her complaint. Pauly was named as the sixth accused in the FIR. Taking to Instagram, Pauly said the allegations were “entirely untrue” and that he would handle it legally. “I have come across a false news report accusing me of abusing a girl. Please know that this is entirely untrue. I’m determined to go to any extent to prove these allegations are baseless and will take all necessary steps to bring those responsible to light. Thank you for your concern. The rest will be handled legally,” he said in a post. The case will be probed by the Special Investigation Team formed to investigate sexual misconduct complaints coming from the Malayalam film industry in the aftermath of the release of the Justice Hema Committee report. The report released last month detailed the various issues faced by women in the industry, and found that this included rampant sexual misconduct. Police said an FIR was registered under various IPC sections, including section 376 (rape). The incident took place in November 2023, as per the complaint. In the days after the Hema Committee report’s release, a number of actors had come out with allegations against some of the veterans of the Malayalam film industry. This led to cases being registered against actor and ruling CPI(M) MLA Mukesh, as well as other prominent actors Jayasurya, Baburaj, Siddique, and others. Film director Ranjith also had cases registered against him following sexual misconduct allegations, which also led to his resignation as chairperson of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy.
