5 Min Read
CHENNAI, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The threat of jail under India’s criminal defamation law has had a “chilling effect” on the country’s #MeToo movement, the lawyer who successfully defended a female journalist sued by a former government minister has warned.
M. J. Akbar stepped down as a minister in 2018 after he was accused of sexual misconduct during his earlier career as a newspaper editor by a number of women, including the journalist Priya Ramani.
Akbar, who denies all the allegations, filed a criminal defamation lawsuit against Ramani accusing her of having “fabricated” her story.
This week a court in New Delhi found Ramani not guilty of the charge, which carries a sentence of up to two years in jail.
The actor is happy juggling the two parallel worlds of cinema
“It was unforgettable,” recounts actor Semmalar about her 10-day shoot at a Kurumba tribal hamlet in Attapadi, Kerala. She was shooting there for her new Malayalam film titled
Mmmmm, directed by Vijeesh Mani. “The title denotes the sound of buzzing honey bees; the film revolves around honey hunters from the Kurumba tribe.With a decline in bee population, there are fewer beehives and the film shows how this impacts their livelihood,” says the actor over phone from Chennai, where she is dubbing for the film. “Two boys, Panali and Ben, accompanied our shoots to aid with translation as the Kurumbas speak a different language. They are here with me for dubbing as well, to make corrections in dialogue delivery and modulation,” says Semmalar, who speaks in an accented Tamil that has a Malayalam flavour. “I love Kerala food. I indulged in