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Filmmaker and actor Alleppey Ashraf has come out with more detailed allegations against director Ranjith Balakrishnan in the wake of the sexual assault case against him, revisiting an incident involving veteran actor Oduvil Unnikrishnan that he had spoken about earlier as well. Speaking through his YouTube channel, Ashraf said he was now sharing further details about what he claims happened on the sets of Mohanlal’s 1997 blockbuster Aaraam Thampurandirected by Ranjith.

Ashraf alleges that Ranjith assaulted Oduvil Unnikrishnan during the shoot over a minor issue. “Over a trivial joke, a drunken and arrogant Ranjith slapped that innocent man across the face and knocked him down,” he says. Recalling the aftermath, he adds, “When others lifted him up, the tears flowing down his face is something I can never forget. Even today, that helpless face stays in my mind.”

In his latest account, Ashraf claims the assault was more severe than he had earlier revealed. Citing what producer G Suresh Kumar allegedly told him, he says, “Oduvil did not fall just because of the slap. Ranjith had also kicked him in the abdomen, and it was the impact of that kick that brought him down.”

He further stresses the seriousness of the act, noting, “You should remember that he was kicked in the stomach while he was already undergoing treatment for a kidney- illness.” Ashraf also addressed why there was no immediate confrontation on set. “When an issue happens during the shooting of a film made with crores of rupees, the priority is not to escalate it but to somehow resolve it,” he says, adding that those present tried to calm the situation rather than worsen it.