Explained: Why Mohanlal’s cameo in Dileep’s new film has sparked outrage and is problematic

Dubai: Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has found himself at the centre of a fresh controversy after appearing in a cameo in Bha Bha Ba, actor Dileep’s upcoming film.

The backlash erupted just days after Dileep was acquitted in the long-running 2017 actor assault case, reopening wounds and reigniting debates around accountability, power and solidarity in the Malayalam film industry.

The controversy began on December 10, when the trailer of Bha Bha Ba was released— two days after a Kerala sessions court acquitted Dileep of masterminding the abduction and sexual assault of a fellow Malayalam actor. While the film was positioned as Dileep’s return to the big screen after an 8.5-year legal battle, public attention quickly shifted from the comeback narrative to Mohanlal’s surprise appearance in the poster.

Bha Bha Ba—short for Bhayam Bhakthi Bahumanam—is a crime comedy directed by Dhananjay Shankar and built heavily around Dileep’s star appeal.

The film also features Vineeth Sreenivasan, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Balu Varghese, Baiju Santhosh, Saranya Ponvannan and Redin Kingsley in supporting roles.

However, it was Mohanlal’s brief but high-voltage cameo that dominated online conversations. For many viewers, the appearance was not seen as incidental casting but as a symbolic endorsement.

Critics argue that the industry’s most powerful star stepping into Dileep’s comeback vehicle effectively positions Mohanlal as the face of Dileep’s rehabilitation into mainstream Malayalam cinema.

A growing section of the audience believes Mohanlal’s presence goes beyond professional collaboration and functions as a public signal that Dileep has been “restored” to the industry fold.

Given Mohanlal’s stature and moral authority within Malayalam cinema, his cameo is being read as a deliberate act of validation—one that fast-tracks Dileep’s reintegration despite unresolved discomfort around the case.

Social media users accused the superstar of normalising and sanitising Dileep’s return at a moment when the survivor and several women in the industry have openly questioned the verdict and the conduct of the trial. For critics, the issue is not legality alone, but optics, timing and the power imbalance that allows influential men to reshape public narratives.

Supporters of Mohanlal, however, argue that an acquittal restores Dileep’s right to work and that reading political intent into a cameo amounts to moral policing.

Fueling the backlash further are the strong responses from the women most closely associated with the case. Survivor Bhavana Menon has publicly expressed deep disappointment over the way the case was handled and the verdict that acquitted a prominent industry figure. She has spoken about procedural lapses, the prolonged emotional toll of the trial, and the larger failure of the system to deliver closure.

Dileep’s former wife, actor Manju Warrier, has also strongly questioned the outcome and its implications. Their statements have intensified public unease, particularly as influential male stars visibly step in to facilitate his professional rehabilitation.

Dileep was the eighth accused in the 2017 case that shook Malayalam cinema and triggered a long-overdue conversation about misogyny and abuse of power. On December 8, the Ernakulam sessions court convicted Pulsar Suni and five others, while acquitting Dileep and three other accused.

While the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish Dileep’s role as the mastermind, the verdict has remained contentious. Allegations of irregularities during the trial, including concerns over the handling of key evidence, continue to cast a shadow.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the government stands with the survivor and will study the judgment in detail before deciding on further legal steps, including a possible appeal.