Wayfarer Films, the production company founded by actor Dulquer Salmaan, has initiated legal action against chief associate director Dhinil Babu following allegations that he misused the company’s name to approach a woman under the pretext of offering her a role in one of their upcoming films.

According to a statement from Wayfarer Films, Dhinil has no association with the company and has not been involved in any of its projects. The production house lodged a formal complaint at Thevara Police Station and with FEFKA, the organisation representing film technicians in the Malayalam industry, accusing him of defaming the company by linking it to a “casting couch” allegation.

Wayfarer Films also clarified that all its official casting calls are made only through its verified social media pages or those of Dulquer, warning the public not to fall for unauthorised or fraudulent casting notices.

The complaint follows an incident in which a young woman accused Dhinil of luring her to a building near Wayfarer Film’s office in Panampilly Nagar, Kochi, claiming it was for a discussion related to a new film. She alleged that Dhinil attempted to assault her after locking her in a room and threatened her with a career ban when she resisted. The Ernakulam South Police have registered a case and begun an investigation.

Dhinil has previously worked as a chief associate director and associate director on several well-known Malayalam films, including Aashiq Abu’s Mayaanadhi, Soubin Shahir’s Parava and the Mohanlal-starrer Neerali, among others. In 2020, he announced his directorial debut, 9MM, starring Manju Warrier and Dhyan Sreenivasan, who also wrote the script. The project, which was billed as Manju’s 50th film, did not materialise later, and its current status remains unclear.