Malayalam director and former MLA PT Kunju Muhammed has been accused of behaving indecently with a fellow film worker during the International Film Festival of Kerala-2025 (IFFK) screening last month, with the police registering a case against him.
The woman, in her complaint, said that Muhammed - who was serving as the jury chairman - entered her room and assaulted her. She also pointed out that he had "insulted her femininity" and "behaved badly".
The woman was a member of the jury that was involved with the selection of the films for the upcoming festival, which opens later this week, reported news agency IANS.
She sent the complaint to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and was later handed over to the Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner for further investigation.
However, Muhammed denied any wrongdoing, saying it must have been a "misunderstanding". "I have been in the public sphere for 25 years and not behaved badly with anyone," he said.
Muhammed is a two-time legislator who won as an independent candidate with the support of the CPI(M). He first entered the Assembly by winning the 1994 by-election from Kerala's Guruvayoor constituency and successfully retained the seat in the 1996 Assembly elections.
Muhammed is also a founder-director of the CPI(M)-backed Kairali TV channel.
After completing his graduation, he worked abroad as a senior executive with an international French company for ten years.
He entered cinema as a producer with the film 'Aswathama' in 1978 and made his acting debut in the film 'Uppu'. He later produced two more films, 'Purushartham' and 'Swaroopam', both of which won accolades at the state and national levels.
He directed many films such as 'Magrib' and 'Garshome' - which received several prestigious awards.
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