Why Dileep named his ex-wife after acquittal

Minutes after his acquittal in the 2017 assault case, actor Dileep walked out to cheering crowds.

Transcript

00:00Mansoor Parmeyarthu Nanu, in Kedhari Yodla, Bhoodalwana, Armin.

00:09Minutes after being acquitted in the 2017 assault case, Malayalam actor Dilip stepped out of the Irnakulam District Sessions Court

00:16to loud cheers from supporters and a frenzy of media cameras.

00:20His first words were pointed and controversial.

00:22Dilip was referring to Manjuwarrior, one of Malayalam cinema's most respected actors and his former wife.

00:38The actor had long been accused of masterminding the abduction and assault of a Malayalam actress

00:43inside a moving car on February 17, 2017.

00:46While the court convicted six accused, including crime accused Palsir Suni,

00:50it acquitted the leap of all conspiracy charges.

01:01The turning point of the case dates back to 2017,

01:05when two days after the horrific assault,

01:07leading figures of the Malayalam film industry gathered in Kochi to condemn the crime.

01:11It was there that Manjuwarrior publicly raised the possibility of a larger conspiracy,

01:16which became a key point in the investigation.

01:18This led to the formation of the Hema Committee,

01:21a Kerala government panel led by Justice Hema,

01:23tasked with examining sexual harassment,

01:26gender inequality and poor working conditions in the Malayalam film industry.

01:30Within months, several other industry figures were named,

01:33and five months after the protest,

01:35Dilip was arrested for allegedly plotting the assault with Palsir Suni,

01:38driven by personal revenge linked to a split with Manjuwarrior.

01:41Dilip spent 85 days in the Aluwa jail before receiving the bail.

01:45Palsir Suni and five others have now been convicted.

01:48Dilip, however, walks free,

01:50and with his latest statement,

01:51a fresh wave of debate and division has resurfaced within Kerala's film industry.