Women passengers on a KSRTC bus protested the screening of a Dileep film, citing discomfort linked to the 2017 actress assault case. The onboard objection led to the movie being switched off after a heated argument among passengers.
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What was supposed to be a quiet bus journey through Kerala turned into an emotional and heated moment that many passengers will not forget anytime soon. On Saturday, a KSRTC bus travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Kalpetta became the centre of a serious discussion about cinema, consent, and standing with survivors. The reason? A Malayalam film starring actor Dileep was playing loudly on the bus TV.
For some passengers (men), it was just another old movie playing during a long ride. For others, especially a group of women on board, it felt deeply uncomfortable.
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Among the passengers was Lekshmi R Shekhar, who later spoke about what happened. She was travelling with her husband and young son. As soon as the movie started playing at a high volume, she felt disturbed.
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The film featured Dileep, who was once accused in the 2017 Kerala actress assault case. Although he was later acquitted by a sessions court, the case itself remains a painful memory for many, especially women.
Lekshmi said watching the film for more than two hours in a closed bus felt unbearable. “In the present situation, listening to that movie at such a loud volume was extremely uncomfortable,” she explained.
She decided to speak up.
Lekshmi approached the bus conductor and requested that the movie be switched off. She also made it clear that if the film continued, she would get down at the next stop.
But she didn’t stop there.
She turned to fellow passengers and asked a simple question: “Do you really want to watch this movie?”
The response surprised her. Almost all the women on the bus said no. Only two passengers said they were okay with the film.
For Lekshmi, this was not just about personal discomfort. It was about action. “When we say we stand with the survivor, this is how we must show it,” she said.
As more women voiced their discomfort, the mood on the bus changed. Many passengers supported Lekshmi and told conductor they did not want to be forced to watch that film.
Respecting the opinion of the majority, the conductor switched off the TV.
But the calm didn’t last long.
Soon after the movie was turned off, a couple of male passengers allegedly stepped in to support the actor. According to Lekshmi, they argued that the case had already been settled in court and that there was no reason to object to the film.
The argument became heated. Voices were raised. The bus, once filled with movie dialogues, was now filled with anger and emotion.
Lekshmi said the men appeared to have consumed alcohol and kept insisting that Dileep had been cleared by the court.
She strongly disagreed.
“Only a lower court has given a verdict. The case is still pending in higher courts,” she said. “Until the survivor gets full justice, every self-respecting woman must stand with her.”
The 2017 actress assault case shocked the film industry and the public. The survivor, an actress who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films, was abducted and assaulted inside her car on February 17, 2017.
Just a day before this bus incident, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court sentenced six accused in the case to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. Dileep, who was the eighth accused, had already been acquitted earlier.
Even so, the case remains sensitive and emotionally charged.
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