Prithviraj Sukumaran says assistant director was removed immediately after sexual offense accusations | Malayalam Movie News

Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran has issued a statement addressing recent allegations that he continued to work with an assistant director accused of rape and drugging a junior artiste. The actor clarified that upon learning of the accusations, he took immediate action by asking the accused assistant director to leave the film set.

According to On Manorama, in a WhatsApp message to a journalist, Prithviraj explained that he was first made aware of the allegations against the assistant director, Mansoor Rasheed, when his chief associate director informed him of a police complaint registered in October 2023.

This information came to light early in the filming of ‘Empuraan’, just a few days into the first schedule. Prithviraj stated that he had no prior knowledge of the incident or the circumstances leading to the complaint until that point.

Upon receiving the news, Prithviraj took swift action, instructing the accused to leave the set immediately and to present himself to the police to face the legal process. He emphasized that the assistant director was told to comply with the law and face the consequences of his actions.
Meanwhile, the controversy resurfaced following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which has highlighted issues of sexual misconduct within the Malayalam film industry. The junior artiste involved, who now lives in Telangana, recently shared her experience with Asianet News, alleging that Rasheed had raped and drugged her during the shoot of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s second directorial film ‘Bro Daddy’ in 2023.