Says the actor is being made a criminal before being convicted

Auteur Adoor Gopalakrishnan, on Friday, took strong exception to the way actor Dileep, accused of conspiring to abduct and assault a woman film actor, was suddenly being portrayed as an embodiment of evil.

“The crime has not been established in a court of law, but everyone is eager to portray him as an underworld don. The Dileep I’ve known for a year will not commit such a heinous crime. He came across as a loving, good person. He was successful because he was enterprising. Was that wrong? Why should we feel jealous of him? Everyone is out to portray him in darker tones just because they want to feel good about themselves and want to be seen as goodness personified,” Mr. Gopalakrishnan, in town to inaugurate an arts camp organised by the Lalitha Kala Akademi for transgenders, Dalits and tribespeople, told The Hindu . “What’s wrong in buying land if you have the money? That’s what people do, don’t they? Building a house and buying property when they have made some money,” he said.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan had cast the Dileep-Kavya Madhavan duo in his latest outing, Pinneyum .