Malayalam filmmaker Chidambaram S. Poduval, best known as the director of the 2024 blockbuster Manjummel Boys, has been booked in a sexual harassment case by the Kerala Police, officials confirmed on Monday.
The case was registered by the Ernakulam South Police following a formal complaint filed by a woman who alleged that an incident occurred in 2022 at her residence in the Elamkulam area of Kochi. According to police sources, the complainant stated that the filmmaker allegedly entered her apartment without permission and behaved in a sexually inappropriate manner. Based on the complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged.
The case has been registered under Sections 74 (assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 75 (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police officials said that a notice will be issued directing Poduval to appear for questioning, and further legal steps will be taken based on the progress of the investigation. Authorities also confirmed that the complainant’s statement was recorded before the FIR was filed.
Poduval rose to widespread acclaim with Manjummel Boys, a survival drama based on real events that became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of 2024. He earlier directed the 2021 film Jan.E.Man. According to industry reports, his upcoming project is a film titled Balan.
In the hours before the police case was publicly reported, Poduval made his Instagram account private.
Chidambaram S. Poduval has not yet publicly responded to the allegations or issued an official statement on the matter.
– Magizh
