The hotel at Kaloor in the heart of Kochi city was rather quiet when a loud thud pierced through the quietness of midnight on April 16. There was a crack on the asbestos cover of the second floor, and a silhouette could be seen sliding down to the swimming pool area.
The hotel’s CCTV network captured a man in a cap, a T-shirt, three-fourths, and white sneakers frenetically running down a flight of stairs to the reception area. He was out of the hotel in a flash.
A few moments before the drama reminiscent of a movie unfolded, a bunch of plainclothesmen attached to the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force of the Kochi City police had knocked on the door of room 314 on the third floor in which Shine Tom Chacko, an actor from the Malayalam movie industry, had booked into earlier in the day. Soon, it emerged that the man who made the dramatic exit was Shine, who jumped out of the window of his room, no less.
This was arguably the actor’s most daring act, without a body double, albeit in real life, in his career spanning over two decades.
“We had gone to the hotel in search of a drug peddler. It was while scanning the guest register that we stumbled upon the name of the actor,” recalls a member of the special force.
Shine known for his brilliant portrayal of characters such as Bhasi, a seedy criminal in the hit Malayalam movie Kurup, and Reji Mathew, a snarling cop who flies off the handle far too easily in another runaway hit Thallumala, after all, was incarcerated in a drug-related case. Later, Shine and six others were acquitted by a trial court here after a decade-long legal fight in a case registered over the seizure of alleged cocaine from an apartment in Kochi five years ago.
“Initially, our repeated knocks on the door went unanswered. As our knocks grew louder, the door was eventually unbolted by another man, who identified himself as Ahmmed Murshad of Malappuram. Ahmmed claimed to be a friend of the actor. But Shine was nowhere to be seen,” says the officer. Ahmmed pointed to the cops, much to their shock, the open window through which the actor had fled.
After fleeing the hotel Shine reportedly had ridden pillion on a two-wheeler passing by to reach another luxury hotel in the city from where he took a cab to Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, in the early morning hours of April 17.
By the time, the CCTV visual of his daring escape act went viral on social media. The next day dawned with more troubling developments for the actor, which had the potential to inflict a huge dent on his acting career.
It emerged that Shine was the co-actor whom Vincy Aloshious, a young actor who won Kerala State Film Award for her performance in the movie Rekha, accused of misbehaviour on the set of a movie under the alleged influence of narcotic substances. Vincy also declared that she will not share screen space with those using drugs.
Shine found himself in quicksand when he was summoned by the police to find out why he had quite inexplicably bolted out of the hotel during the police inspection. The actor’s claim that he mistook the cops for goons and fled fearing for his life didn’t wash with the police. “If that was the case, he could have contacted the police after the event. But that didn’t happen,” says Putta Vimaladitya, District Police Chief (Kochi City).
The police grilled the actor for around four hours and collected his body fluids, hair and nail clippings for forensic analysis. The actor was later let off.
Soon, skeletons started tumbling out.
Haseeb Malabar, a film producer, took to social media alleging that actor Sreenath Bhasi demanded cannabis during the shooting of an yet-to-be-released movie, Namukku Kodathiyil Kaanam.
“He won’t be in the right mood unless his demand for substance is met,” he alleges though he chose not to prefer a formal complaint fearing that it may disrupt the film shooting.
The K. Hema Committee report, which looked into the issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry, had warned about the rampant consumption of drugs in cinema, especially among a section of the new generation of actors.
Hushed up since then, Vincy’s revelations brought back women’s safety and the alleged widespread drug abuse in the Malayalam film industry to focus.
“Enforcement agencies have received clear indications of drug use in film locations, though we cannot generalise it. We have learnt that drugs are used under the guise of sustaining energy levels for extended hours of shooting to complete the movie within the schedule. MDMA, methamphetamine, and ganja are suspected among the drugs on demand in film locations,” says Manoj Abraham, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order).
Film industry players have also come out in the open about the scourge of the drug menace.
Kamal, a senior filmmaker and former chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, says the use of drugs in the Malayalam industry is not confined to the two who had been named by their colleagues.
“Many others, including directors and technicians, seem to be using narcotic substances if the feedback that we get from within the industry circles is to be believed. The new crop of producers who are in the dark about the reputation of those in the habit of using narcotic substances end up in trouble after taking them on board. I have often heard from my peers that actors use drugs to get a high or to gain confidence while acting,” says Kamal, under whom Shine served as assistant director for close to a decade.
The latest turn of incidents has also raised questions about the effectiveness of internal complaints committees (ICC) on film sets in addressing complaints of workplace harassment.
For instance, while Vincy claimed that those on the sets of the film were aware of Shine’s alleged misbehaviour, its producer, Srikanth Kandragula denied having received any formal complaint from her initially.
However, Aparna Johns, a co-star in the movie Soothravakyam, backed Vincy’s allegations. “The actor’s behaviour on the set was disturbing, and it caused considerable stress. He had made inappropriate remarks with sexual connotations,” she says.
Aparna, who resides at present in Australia, says the ICC had responded positively when the issue was brought to its notice. However, she’s not keen on pursuing the issue further.
It appears that more trouble is in the offing for Shine and Sreenath Bhasi as the State excise officials probing the seizure of 3 kg of suspected hybrid ganja from a resort in Alappuzha district earlier this month have summoned both the actors for interrogation next week. One more actor may be summoned in the case following the reported retrieval of calls and messages linking the actors to a woman, who was nabbed in the case.
Repeated attempts to elicit the responses of the actors failed as the calls and messages to them went unattended.
“The ICC has the responsibility to prevent any such violations and need not wait for the aggrieved woman to lodge a formal complaint to act,” reminds Deedi Damodaran, scenarist and founding member of the Women in Cinema Collective.
“Malayalam cinema had for long ignored the rule that any workplace employing 10 or more employees is required to set up an ICC as per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act. It required an order from the Kerala High Court issued three years ago on a plea by the WCC for the production houses to set up the committees,” she says.
Abhilash Pillai, scriptwriter of the movie Malikappuram, says that the film bodies need to find a solution to the gaps in the composition of ICCs. “The members from among the film crew will not be able to provide justice to the complainants, as they remain busy with shooting while the external member on the committee may not be able to be on the set throughout the shooting,” he says.
Though film bodies had for long evaded a concerted action against drug menace and issues of workplace harassment, the growing incidents seem to have set off alarm bells.
B. Rakesh, secretary of the Kerala Film Producers Association, says that the lack of evidence and complaints about drug use on film sets often stalled legal action.
“We have asked producers to ensure that ICCs are formed as directed by the Kerala High Court. The committees were set up on the sets of over 400 movies since June 2022. The details of the committees and their members have to be submitted online,” he says.
The Film Employees Federation of Kerala and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes have also sprung into action following the developments that shook the industry.
Jayan Cherthala, a member on the ad hoc committee of the actors’ body, says that self-regulation remains the effective solution against drug use in cinema.
“Corrective measures have to emerge from within the industry as each member of the cast and crew should be aware of investments in a movie,” he says.
B. Unnikrishnan, general secretary of the federation, bemoans how the narrative on the widespread drug use has adversely impacted the Malayalam film industry.
“The situation warrants tough action. The federation has taken the lead in forming surveillance committees on all film locations as part of its decision to curb the drug menace,” he says.
The police have also stepped up their vigil.
“Caravans used on film locations and hotels and other facilities used by production houses will come under enhanced surveillance. The police have stepped up vigil against drug suppliers too,” says ADGP Manoj Abraham.
As the industry captains are bracing up to handle the unprecedented crisis, industry insiders say the malady that has gripped the sector is just a reflection of the larger crisis in Kerala society. They feel societal support is essential to clean up the stables.
Published – April 24, 2025 08:14 pm IST