Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan was detained at Mumbai airport on Sunday (September 7) following a lookout notice issued by the Kerala Police in connection with a harassment complaint filed by a female actor, officials confirmed. The Kochi City Police are in touch with the Mumbai airport authorities regarding the matter.
Sanal took to Facebook earlier today to share his ordeal, saying he was unaware of the charges against him.
"I have been detained as part of a lookout notice issued by the Kochi City Police. I believe the police and the communist party in Kerala will treat me as per the law. I am not aware of the case against me," he wrote.
In another post, he claimed that he was not given food or water while in custody. "I'm still sitting right here. No food or water. A team is coming from Kochi to pick me up," he said.
"Nobody knows under what procedure all this is happening. In this drama that has been going on for three years, the so-called complainant has not given a single statement either in public or in court. I had shared the voice recording of my conversation with that person, but the media paid no attention to it. I had demanded an investigation into the matter, and the DGP replied that my complaint had been forwarded to the Kochi Police Commissioner. But no investigation was carried out. What kind of country is this," the filmmaker added.
The filmmaker also questioned the grounds of the case, insisting that his actions stemmed from concern for the female actor's safety. "I don't know on what basis the stalking case will be filed against me. The section correctly says if a man follows them out of concern for the safety of a woman it's not stalking. I have been raising from the beginning the concern for the safety of (the actor)," he wrote.
Sasidharan, who is currently on bail in a sexual harassment case, was booked by the Kochi Police in January 2025 after the same actress accused him of harassing her online.
Sasidharan began his film career in 2000 and in the following year, he made his first short film through crowdfunding. In 2014, he produced his first feature film 'Oraalppokkam'. The film won the award for the best Malayalam film in the International Film Festival of Kerala. It also won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Director in the same year.
His film 'Kayyattam' in 2020 starred Manju Warrier and was shot on an iPhone in the Himalayas.
