VERDICT SHOULDN'T TURN CLOCK BACK IN MOLLYWOOD

THE abduction and rape of a leading actress in the Malayalam film industry—and the subsequent arrest of superstar Dileep—had shaken Mollywood like never before.

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The survivor’s unprecedented decision to pursue the case to its logical end created a stir across Kerala. The investigation into the 2017 incident took a dramatic turn when the police concluded that the attack was not a random act of violence, but part of a larger conspiracy meant to intimidate her. This line of inquiry eventually led to Dileep. After almost nine years and several twists in the trial, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court has now acquitted the actor-producer, the seventh accused, while finding the other six accused guilty. Shortly after his acquittal, Dileep claimed that a “conspiracy” had sought to pin the blame on