Malayalam actor Irshad Ali has voiced his support for Shwetha Menon, who is currently embroiled in a legal controversy over alleged obscene scenes in her past films and advertisements. Taking to Facebook, Irshad used sarcasm to highlight what he sees as the absurdity of the situation.Sharing the poster of the film ‘Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam’, where he starred opposite Meera Jasmine, he wrote, “As far as I know, Meera Jasmine is currently in America. Even after deploying Sethurama Iyer, we still haven’t been able to find out if any lawyer was contacted! Should I apply for anticipatory bail? Or should I go into hiding?” Irshad also added the hashtags like #StandWithShwethaMenon, #ProtectArtistsRights, #ArtisticFreedom, and #Censorship.
Netizens react
Irshad’s post was soon flooded with hilarious comments. One comment read, “ഇങ്ങള് ഞങ്ങടെ നാട്ടുകാരനേ അല്ല (You are not from our village at all.)” Another comment read, “ഇങ്ങളും എടുത്തു വെച്ചോ ഒരു ജാമ്യാപേക്ഷ” (Keep a bail application read).
Many within the Malayalam film fraternity have raised their voices against the issue, standing strong with Shwetha Menon. Actress Seema G Nair shared a Facebook post that read, “Fourteen years ago, we acted together in the film Kayam. Spent several days together then. The bond of love that began that day… This wasn’t a relationship built on regular phone calls or meetings. From the very first meeting till now, she has always treated me the same—with consistency and warmth. And now look at the disgusting, filthy way an FIR has been filed against her. It claims that the institutions she runs are making videos that mislead children. Such shocking allegations… Whether it’s Kalimannu, Paleri Manikyam, Kayam, or even Kamasutra—all these were released legally, with certification from the Censor Board.”
High Court offers relief to Shwetha Menon
The controversy stems from an FIR filed by Ernakulam Central Police following a CJM court directive. The complaint alleged that Shwetha had been involved in creating or transmitting obscene content for financial gain.As reported by Bar and Bench website, the Kerala High Court has stepped in and offered temporary relief. Justice V G Arun granted an interim stay on the proceedings after the actress filed a petition to quash the FIR.
