As the #MeToo movement gathers steam in India, the latest celebrity to be named is Malayalam actor Alencier Ley Lopez. Actress Divya Gopinath, who featured in Aabhaasam, has accused Alencier of sexually harassing her on the sets of the film. She had earlier posted an anonymous account on the blog India Protests in which she wrote she was a 'woman actor who does not wish to be named for she is a beginner, unmarried, independent by choice and a woman struggling to prove her identity even to near and dear ones (sic)'. On Tuesday, however, she went public on Facebook Live.
In an emotionally-charged video, she talks about the struggles of a woman who pursues her passion. She also opens up about how difficult it is to discuss sexual harassment with family and dear ones. Divya said though she is willing to forgive Alencier, it is the realisation that the state award winning actor has harassed other women, that prompted her to name him. Divya said that though she initially chose to remain anonymous, the hurtful comments against her blog post had pushed her to revealing her identity. It is now clear, she was referring to the sets of the movie Aabhaasam, starring Rima Kallingal, Alencier, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Indrans, Naasar, among others. The film was directed by debutante Jubith Namradath.
In the blog, she recounted an incident from the set. “He [Alencier] walked right into my room with a woman co-actor and advised me about the freedom of an artist and the importance of knowing one’s body. He insulted me for being so weak irrespective of my theatre background. My instincts asked me to throw him out of the room. But I decided to go with the flow, due to his seniority and the presence of a co-actor.”
“The same day, while shoot was on, he kept staring at me and some other girls in the set and every time he caught me by the eye, he showed me faces and rolled his tongue in all possible dirty manner of a sexually frustrated man,” she wrote.
Recalling another instance, she wrote about how Alencier barged into her room and 'crept' into bed with her, while her roommate was in the bathroom. “Feeling a strange presence, I woke up shocked. This man is lying so close to me and is asking ‘are you sleeping?’ I jumped up. But he caught me by hand and pulled me back saying ‘lie down for some more time’. I shouted at him with all my might and even my roommate heard me in the bathroom.”
Claiming that he was joking, Alencier quickly left the room before the roommate re-entered. They reported the incidents to the director, who tried to confront Alencier, who was offended. “The way he chose to avenge was awful and very unprofessional. He messed up with shots and continuity, came drunk on set, abused co-actors and what not,” she wrote. “I know there are more women in the same film and other films who have lot more stories to share about the real Alencier.”
