Malayalam actress assault: Why did Rima Kallingal not attend Sunday's protest in Kochi?

Rima, who rose to fame for her roles in movies such as 22 Female Kottayam and Rani Padmini, severely criticised CPI (M)-affiliated Malayalam news channel Kairali TV for suggesting the actress was in a relationship with the driver.

Lashing out against Times of India she wrote on her Facebook page: "I spit on your third rate yellow journalism you morons."

The film fraternity in Kerala is on the boil, since the alleged rape of a popular Malayalam actress. The reports initially had identified the popular actress, only to later retract it. Since then her name has been withheld.

Amid the attack on the media by the leading members of film fraternity, Delhi-based senior journalist Ullekh NP raised a few hard-hitting questions, including "Why is it that Rima Kallingal did not attend Sunday's protest in Kochi after having gone berserk on social media."

" The likes of Rima Kallingal and various others, including a bunch of perfidious buddies in the media fraternity, have heaped scorn on the media, especially The Times of India and Kairali TV for being insensitive about the coverage of the incident. I am the last one to justify journalistic incongruities, but I want to ask the rabid crowd of the film world to take a look at themselves in the mirror and shed the hypocrisy that guards them against the ugly underbelly of movie business in Kerala," Ullekh wrote.

Here are the few questions that the journalist wanted the film fraternity to answer: 

a) Aren't Pulsar Sunil and Martin both currently employees of Lal Creations of actor-director-whatever Lal who offered the victim shelter last night? If so, why has Lal not been arrested yet for questioning (remember a poor guy in Ambalapuzha was picked up by police just because Pulsar Sunil happened to visit his home after the incident. Different laws for the powerful and he who is not?)

b) Wasn't the last call that went to Pulsar Sunil's phone from producer Anto Joseph, who turned up at Lal's house as the so-called saviour of the victim? If so, how come he had the number of a criminal on his contact list? Why is it that these bunch of godforsaken asses are still employees of Lal, btw?? Didn't Martin spend time at Lal's home after the assault before he fled?

c) Has Anto Joseph been questioned by cops? If not, why isn't he? (Call records and police confirm that it was after his call that the Pulsar chap switched off his phone).

d) How come that Lal is oblivious of the activities of these criminal-drivers who, it emerges now, are notorious gangsters and drug suppliers with dubious bonafides?

e) Why is it that Rima Kallingal did not attend today's protest in Kochi after having gone berserk on social media? Is there more to her absence there than meets the eye?

Read the full post here.

• Rima Kallingal
• Malayalam actress assault
• Times of India
• Kairali TV