"Truth Must Come Out...": Kerala Actor Accused Of Sex Assault Claims Blackmail

Demanding a "transparent investigation", CPIM MLA Mukesh claimed Minu Muneer first approached him in 2009 and then in 2022, when she asked for "at least Rs 1 lakh".

Malayalam actor and CPIM MLA M Mukesh - one of many Kerala film personalities accused of sexual assault after the Justice Hema Committee report release - hit back Tuesday saying he had been "blackmailed" by his accuser, fellow actor Minu Muneer, and her husband. "The truth must come out... I welcome inquiries into allegations against filmmakers, including myself," he said on Facebook.

Ms Munner, on Monday, told NDTV that Mr Mukesh and another prominent actor, Jayasurya, had physically and verbally abused her on the set of a movie in 2013. Mukesh, she also said, had made unwanted advances when she sought his help to join a Malayalam film actors' organisation called AMMA. "There is a lot of exploitation in this industry. I am a witness and victim. When I moved to Chennai, nobody reached out to me, asking me what had happened..." she told NDTV.

Demanding a "transparent investigation... to reveal the true nature of allegations discussed in the public", he claimed Ms Muneer first approached him in 2009 and then in 2022, when she asked for "at least Rs 1 lakh" and her husband followed that by demanding "a huge amount of money".