Controversy continued to rage for the second consecutive day on Friday (April 18, 2025) over accusations of alleged drug-impaired misconduct centred around Malayalam film actor Shine Tom Chacko even as the Kerala Police confirmed that they would issue the actor a formal summons.
Furthermore, the brouhaha over Mr. Chacko’s “disappearance” after he allegedly made a run for it from a hotel during an inspection by the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) in Kochi early Thursday appeared to supercharge the latest scandal.
A senior police official said law enforcement, so far, has no case against Mr. Chacko. The DANSAF team discovered no drugs or signs of substance abuse.
Nevertheless, the official said Mr. Chacko choosing to jump out of the window of his second-floor hotel room to make a risky escape during a police search required an explanation.
Moreover, he said the police would examine actor Vincy Aloshious’ complaint to film bodies, including an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), that Mr. Chacko had misbehaved with her allegedly under the influence of drugs on a film set.
“If the ICC’s examination reveals a cognisable offence, the police can conduct a preliminary probe even in the absence of a complaint from the alleged victim”, the official said.
Govt support to Vincy
Ms. Aloshious also found support from the government. Minister for Culture Saji Cherian said that, ideally, resistance against substance abuse and misbehaviour in the film industry “should come from within.”
“Vincy Aloshious has set a brave example by coming out in the open,” he told reporters in Alappuzha.
Notably, the controversy broke at a time when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government prioritised a Statewide crackdown on narcotics, primarily synthetic drugs.
However, Excise Minister M B Rajesh signalled that law enforcement would not conduct anti-narcotic shakedowns of its own accord at film locations or elsewhere. Instead, it would act on actionable intelligence, and film sets were no exception.
When contacted, B. Rakesh, secretary of the Kerala Film Producers Association, said he had given a letter to the government stating that the association would cooperate with law enforcement to prevent the supposed infusion of narcotics at production locales.
Published – April 18, 2025 03:42 pm IST