Shanu Ismail, who works as a production controller in Malayalam Cinema, was found dead in a hotel room in Kochi, according to media reports from Kerala. A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Shanu Ismail has been staying in a private hotel in Kochi for the past few days. His body was reported to be discovered after the hotel staff found no response from his room for a couple of days. The police are investigating the cause of the demise to understand if it was an act of suicide or if any foul play was involved. Malayalam Actor Vinod Thomas Found Dead Inside Parked Car in Kottayam, Body Sent for Postmortem.

Shanu Ismail was one of the names involved in the #MeToo controversy, which re-erupted after the findings of the Justice Hema Committee report. A woman had levelled allegations of sexual assault against him, claiming he had raped her in 2018 after promising a role in a movie. The police had filed an FIR against Ismail following the public coverage of these allegations, after which the production controller had gone under the radar and had been staying in Kochi.

Shanu Ismail Found Dead in Hotel Room

 

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It can only be confirmed after the investigations carried out by Kerala police if Shanu Ismail's demise was linked to the accusations against him. Justice Hema Committee Report: SIT Zeroes In on 20 Serious Sexual Harassment Allegations of Women in Malayalam Film Industry; Complainants To Be Heard by September 30.

Post the disclosure of the Hema Committee report, several Malayalam celebs have been facing accusations of sexual assault and misbehaviour from actresses. Actors like Mukesh, Siddique, Jayasurya, Nivin Pauly, Idavela Babu et al. have been in the #MeToo spotlight since then, and so have directors and technicians like Omar Lulu, Ranjith, etc.

Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Helpline Numbers:

Tele Manas (Ministry of Health) – 14416 or 1800 891 4416; NIMHANS – + 91 80 26995000 /5100 /5200 /5300 /5400; Peak Mind – 080-456 87786; Vandrevala Foundation – 9999 666 555; Arpita Suicide Prevention Helpline – 080-23655557; iCALL – 022-25521111 and 9152987821; COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ) – 0832-2252525.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2024 01:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).