'Manjummel Boys' Director Chidambaram Accused Of Sexual Assault 

Director Chidambaram, who had made the blockbuster Manjummel Boys, has been in the news since Sunday after an actress accused him of sexual assault. The alleged incident is said to have taken place in an Elamkulam apartment in Kochi in 2022 when the director is said to have charged into the actress’s home. According to Mathrubhumi News, the Ernakulam South police station has received a complaint from the actress, which states that the director forcibly entered her apartment. The police have said that the director will be called in for questioning. More updates on the case are expected today. The complaint also notes that the director spoke derogatorily to the woman. It is alleged that Chidambaram entered her apartment and behaved inappropriately. Based on her statement, the police have booked the director under Sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, dealing with assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and sexual harassment.

In recent news, the director had posted a story on Instagram, denying reports of his new collaboration with actor Dileep. He also wrote, “Please verify before you post trash”, tagging a news report that connected him to a new film. He is said to have made his profile inactive after this post.

Director Chidambaram’s next, following his blockbuster Malayalam film Manjummel Boys of last year, will be a film titled Balan. The filmmaker had revealed earlier that the film would have limited characters and a humble setting. It is being written by Jithu Madhavan, the writer-director of last year’s blockbuster Aavesham, starring Fahadh Faasil. KVN Productions, led by Venkat K Narayana, has partnered with Thespian Films, headed by Shailaja Desai Fenn, for this new film. The production has enlisted top-tier talent, including Shyju Khalid as director of photography, Sushin Shyam as music director, and Vivek Harshan as editor.