The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has called for candlelight gatherings across Kerala on February 17, nine years since the 2017 actor abduction and assault case that eventually led to the formation of the collective and the #Avalkoppam movement. In a statement issued on Monday, the WCC described February 17 as both “the sharpest scar” and the day the actor “courageously spoke up against her violators”. The organisation said that her decision to file a complaint the very next day became the starting point for a larger movement within the Malayalam film industry, encouraging survivors to speak up and ask for safer workplaces.
The gatherings are planned for 6 pm in three cities: Mananchira Open Stage in Kozhikode, Abdul Kalam Marg at Marine Drive in Kochi, and Mayaveeyam Veethi in Thiruvananthapuram. The collective has asked “everyone who stands with her and all the survivors” to join, presenting it as a show of solidarity and a reminder that the demand for justice continues. On social media, several members of the film fraternity, as well as members of the public, have shared the WCC’s post using the hashtag #Avalkoppam. Many see it as a way of standing together and acknowledging how much has changed in the past nine years.
At the same time, the decision to hold the gathering on the exact date has led to some discussion online. A few social media users questioned whether remembering the incident on that particular day could be difficult. Social media influencer and content creator Carl Lafrenais wrote that while solidarity matters, “some dates aren’t just dates” and can carry emotional weight, adding that healing “deserves sensitivity”. In a note addressed to the WCC, he said he understood the intention behind a candlelight gathering, “To stand in solidarity. To honour courage. To show collective strength,” but questioned whether marking the exact day of a traumatic incident was the right way to honour someone.
Referring to the recent judgment, he said the repeated revisiting of that date in headlines and conversations could be overwhelming. “Some dates aren’t just dates. They carry memory. They carry weight. They carry what someone is trying to move past,” he wrote, adding that his comments came from “respect” and “genuine concern”. He said solidarity should empower and comfort, not unintentionally reopen wounds. “For the world, it’s a date. For someone, it may still be a wound,” he added.
His view found resonance with many online, with several users expressing similar concerns. Among them, one user commented, “Trauma wounds are inflicted even by the slightest of memories. It takes a lifetime to fade. They could have chosen her birthdate to stand with her, because she is the one we are honouring, not what happened to her.”
The 2017 case, in which a leading Malayalam actor was abducted and sexually assaulted inside a moving vehicle, went through a prolonged legal battle. In December 2025, the Ernakulam District and Sessions Court found six accused guilty and sentenced them to 20 years of imprisonment, while actor Dileep, who had been named as the eighth accused, was acquitted along with three others.
