Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, who was recently taken into police custody in Kochi, has been granted bail.
The arrest came in connection with allegations of online stalking and harassment involving a well-known woman actor.
The Elamakkara police in Kochi detained the filmmaker after being handed over by Mumbai’s Sahar police, where he was initially held.
Sanal Kumar was detained at the Mumbai airport on Sunday when he arrived from the USA, following a lookout circular issued against him in January 2025, shortly after the case was registered. A 2-member police team from Kochi escorted him back to Kerala on Monday.
Allegations Of Stalking & Harassment
The case stems from accusations that Sanal Kumar had allegedly stalked and harassed the actress online. The complaint, filed by the actress, brought attention to a broader issue of online abuse and threats faced by women in the film industry. The allegations are tied to an incident that first surfaced in May 2022, when the filmmaker was arrested on similar charges. He was later granted bail in that instance as well.
Director’s Claims On Threats & Safety Concerns
In his defense, Sanal Kumar has repeatedly expressed concern for the actress’s safety. Through a series of social media posts, including some from abroad, he has voiced that the actress “was facing a threat to her life from the Mafia in the film industry,” and claimed that “the same mafia had been after him too.”
These posts appear to be attempts to highlight perceived threats within the film industry and to question the motives behind the case against him. The director’s statements have attracted significant attention and sparked debates over harassment, safety, and exploitation in cinema circles.
Following his arrest in Kochi, the police produced him before the court, which granted him bail once again. The decision came after considering the nature of the allegations and the fact that the filmmaker had already faced legal proceedings in a similar case earlier.
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