Veteran actor Rahman issued a strongly worded statement on Saturday in response to the accusations levelled against Shwetha Menon. He called the allegations 'baseless' and a deliberate attempt to stop her from becoming the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).
A case was recently registered against Shwetha based on a complaint by social activist Martin Menachery, who accused her of earning financial gain through films and advertisements allegedly containing sexually explicit content, naming films like Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha, Rathinirvedam, Kalimannu and a Kamasutra condom advertisement. Martin claimed that the actor's clips from these works were being circulated on adult websites and social media to earn profit.
Meanwhile, Shwetha successfully secured a high court order on Thursday, staying all criminal proceedings against her. In her plea to quash the FIR, she claimed Martin's complaint was timed to coincide with the AMMA elections, suggesting it was a deliberate attempt to damage her reputation during the election process.
Backing Shwetha's claims, Rahman, said in his statement, "This current situation is nothing but utter nonsense. Meher and I are shocked and disgusted by the people behind this malicious act. It is clear to me that this is a deliberate attempt to tarnish your name and stop you from being elected as the President of the Malayalam Artists’ Association. Such dirty games are common in politics, but I never expected to see them in our film industry."
Rahman, who has worked with Shwetha in the Mohanlal-starrer Rock n' Roll and several stage shows, recalled her genuine concern for others and how she always treated people with respect, regardless of their position. He urged her not to let these recent issues break her spirit and expressed confidence that she would make an excellent AMMA president.