Mollywood was in for a shock when Divya Gopinath, a relatively unknown actor, alleged that she faced harassment from Alencier Ley Lopez. The allegation came in October 2018 even as the #MeToo moment was continuing to gain momentum in the country. She went on to file a complaint against the actor with Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA).
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On February 17, 2019, in an interview to Kochi Times, Divya Gopinath sought a public apology from the actor. After the interview came out, Alencier contacted Kochi Times to issue a public apology. He told the newspaper that he reached out to Divya on phone and apologised to her. He said their conversation was cordial, but she insisted that he offers a public apology.
In his apology published in the newspaper, Alencier said he repented the action and sought an apology when he realised that his actions hurt her. He said he is choosing to offer an apology through media as she wanted it from him and added that his apology is not just to Divya, but to all his colleagues who were offended by his behaviour.
READ MORE: Malayalam actor Alencier's #MeToo accuser reveals identity on Facebook
I am not a saint, the actor said, adding that he is a human being like everyone else who make mistakes. He further said he accepts the wrongs he has done and repents for them.
Accepting his apology, Divya had said she accepts his apology as she feels that it was genuine.
Reacting to the apology, Women in Cinema Collective, an organisation for women working in the Malayalam cinema industry, in a Facebook post, said, "This is only a small compensation for the humiliation and insecurity that a woman goes through."
"Through the media the world has received news that Alancier, actor, has submitted a public apology to our colleague Ms Divya Gopinath, actor, who was subject to sexual harassment by him on the sets of a film that they were working on together. This is only a small compensation for the humiliation and insecurity that a woman goes through. WCC condemns any form of sexual harassment and bullying, but this gesture of apology is one step in the healing process. Recognition of the inappropriateness and repulsive nature of such acts is essential. We hope this owning up of misbehaviour is a deterrent to such acts in future.," the Facebook post read.
