An incident on Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram – Thottilpalam Super Fast KSRTC bus resulted in the halting of a film screening (starring Dileep, who was recently acquitted in the high-profile 2017 Malayalam actor assault case) after a woman passenger voiced her strong objection. The film, starring actor Dileep, was being played when a woman identified as Lakshmi R Shekhar from Pathanamthitta protested, setting off a discussion among the passengers over the appropriateness of showing such movies on public transport.
This incident comes days after the controversial judgement in the 2017 Malayalam actor assault case, where the actor was assaulted in a moving car with the convicts filming the incident. On December 12, the Kerala Sessions Court pronounced that the six convicts will serve 20 years in prison, while acquitting Dileep, who was accused of masterminding the crime. The survivor, in her first post, after the judgement, expressed her dissatisfaction with the unfair trial and listed six reasons for losing faith in the trial court.
As Dileep’s film Ee Parakkum Thalika began to play on the bus, Lakshmi R Shekhar was the first to object to the screening. Her protest quickly found support among a section of the passengers, prompting the bus conductor to stop the film’s screening to address the growing tension.
According to a video aired on Asianet, Lakshmi R Shekhar said, “passengers should not be forced to watch films they are not interested in while travelling on a KSRTC bus.” Her view was echoed by some other women passengers, who felt such screenings could be uncomfortable during travel.
Lakshmi further remarked that “the majority of passengers responded positively to her objection,” indicating that her stance resonated with many on board.
However, not all passengers agreed with stopping the film. Some supported Dileep and questioned the necessity of the protest, arguing, “there was no need to discuss an issue on which a court verdict had already been delivered.”
Lakshmi R Shekhar responded by saying, “many women did not want to watch such films during their journey.” She also insisted, “There have been several court verdicts, but Dileep’s films cannot be shown on this bus.” Her strong statement was met with support from certain women passengers.
The conductor ultimately decided to turn off the film as the disagreement escalated into a verbal clash, ending the screening and restoring order on the bus.
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