New Delhi: As the Hema report and the #MeToo movement continue to expose disturbing stories in the Malayalam film industry, actress Sujatha, known by her screen name Sowmya, has come forward with harrowing accusations. She claims that a Tamil filmmaker groomed her to be a sex slave when she was just 18 years old.In an interview with NDTV, Sowmya shared that she entered the film industry through a college theatre group, which led to a connection with a Tamil director. Without naming him, Sowmya revealed that the director approached her father, expressing interest in casting her in a film. From the outset, she felt uneasy around the director, but felt obligated to proceed due to the financial investment he had made in her role.Sowmya recalled feeling intimidated by the directors angry silent treatment on set, which made her fearful of falling out of favor with him. He and his wife would invite her to their home, pampering her with food and milkshakes. However, one day, when his wife was not present, the director kissed her while calling her his daughter. I completely froze, she said. I wanted to tell my friends, but I was ashamed. I thought I had done something wrong and that I had to be nice to him.She revealed that the abuse escalated from there. The director used his influence and control to sexually assault her repeatedly for nearly a year while she was still in college. He forced himself on me. He raped me. This continued for almost a year. He groomed me to be a sex slave, Sowmya recounted.The director further manipulated her by insisting he wanted to have a child with her, while still referring to her as his daughter. He completely messed with my mind. It took me 30 years to overcome the shame, she said.Sowmya has since reported her traumatic experience to the police, but she has chosen not to disclose the directors identity, citing concerns for her safety.
