Vishnu Varma is Assistant Editor and reports from Kerala for the Hindustan Times. He has 10 years of experience writing for print and digital platforms and has worked at The New York Times, NDTV and The Indian Express in the past. He specialises in longform reportage at the intersections of politics, crime, social commentary and environment.
Articles by Vishnu Varma
Row among family over mortal remains of Communist leader
Disagreements between late Communist leader MM Lawrence’s son and one of his daughters took a dramatic turn on Monday as they could not reach a consensus on how to handle his mortal remains
Updated on Sep 24, 2024 08:30 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Veteran Malayalam actor Kaviyoor Ponnamma passes away
Kaviyoor Ponnamma has starred in over 700 films in the regional language and is hailed for handling mother role with finesse and grace in most of those films
Published on Sep 20, 2024 07:36 PM IST
Kerala man tests positive for Mpox, 2nd case in country
A 38-year-old man who arrived in Kerala from Dubai last week tested positive for Mpox on Wednesday, health minister Veena George said on Wednesday.
Updated on Sep 19, 2024 08:50 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala govt publishes ‘route map’ of Nipah victim, 104 contacts are ‘high-risk’
The Kerala government mandated face masks in Malappuram district, declared five wards in two panchayats as containment zones
Updated on Sep 17, 2024 07:44 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Man who died of Nipah came home for leg injury treatment
The 24-year-old man, who recently died due to Nipah virus in Kerala, was a psychology student at a Bengaluru college and had come home to Wandoor in Malappuram district on August 23
Updated on Sep 17, 2024 07:30 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
5 states seek larger share from 16th Finance Commission
Kerala CM Vijayan urges the 16th Finance Commission to increase states' tax share to 50%, highlighting rising surcharges limiting funds for states.
Updated on Sep 13, 2024 04:50 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
‘Alarmingly lethargic’: HC raps Kerala govt over Hema report
The bench observed that the report was submitted by the panel in 2019, but the state government did not even do the “bare minimum” of deciding if it agreed with its findings
Updated on Sep 11, 2024 05:18 AM IST
ADGP met RSS leaders at the behest of Vijayan: Kerala LoP
Satheesan alleged that the ADGP was deputed as a messenger at the behest of Pinarayi Vijayan to strike a quid pro quo deal with the RSS-BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections
Updated on Sep 10, 2024 09:16 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
WCC: Leading the revolution for safe workplaces in Mollywood
The Women in Cinema Collective — a first-of-its-kind all-woman outfit in the Indian cinema — has been fighting for the establishment of a non-discriminatory workplace in Malayalam cinema since 2017
Published on Sep 08, 2024 07:56 PM IST
Kerala chief secretary succeeded by spouse — both cadres of 1990-batch
On the last working day, Dr V Venu was mobbed by reporters for the precise reason that he was handing over the reins to his spouse and fellow 1990 batch IAS officer Sarada Muraleedharan
Updated on Sep 04, 2024 08:38 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
‘Toughest 30 days of my life’: Man who lost his daughter in Wayanad landslides
The landslides killed at least 231 people and flattened three settlements completely burying homes, schools, temples and shops
Updated on Aug 31, 2024 04:37 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala police file fresh complaint of sexual assault against Ranjith
A Kozhikode-based man has filed a complaint alleging that the director forced him to strip naked and also sexually assaulted him in 2012
Updated on Aug 30, 2024 04:50 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Another top actor booked, gets court relief
Besides Mukesh, actors Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Edavela Babu, Congress leader VS Chandrasekharan and two production controllers – Noble and Vichu – have also been booked for alleged assault, making inappropriate gestures and insulting the woman in the same case
Updated on Aug 30, 2024 06:22 AM IST
Kerala government’s handling of Hema panel report shows insincerity on gender issues: Experts
The delay in the release of the justice Hema commission report, key pages being redacted from it contrary to the information commission’s orders and sexual abuse allegations against its prominent members have all contributed to a loss of face for the CPI(M)-led government in Kerala.
Updated on Aug 29, 2024 08:52 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Mohanlal, others resign from Kerala actors’ body
AMMA also dissolved the executive committee and said a new panel will be elected within two months to “innovate and strengthen” the film body.
Updated on Aug 28, 2024 05:58 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Five more actors in the dock over sexual abuse in Malayalam film industry
Ernakulam North police said it has filed an FIR against director Ranjith based on a complaint by a Bengali actress.
Published on Aug 27, 2024 10:20 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith, actor Siddique quit key bodies amid sexual assault allegations
The Kerala government on Sunday said that a special investigation team (SIT) will investigate the allegations of sexual assault raised by women working in the Malayalam film industry.
Published on Aug 26, 2024 10:15 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Director Ranjith quits as Kerala movie org head over inappropriate behaviour charge
In an audio clip released to the media, Ranjith said he has sent his resignation letter to the minister of culture Saji Cheriyan and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the wake of the allegations against him
Published on Aug 25, 2024 12:16 PM IST
Malayalam actor Siddique quits AMMA general secretary post over rape allegation
The decision to resign came a day after an actress reiterated her allegations of sexual assault and rape that she had first made in 2019 through a Facebook post
Updated on Aug 25, 2024 11:00 AM IST
Fissures in movie artists’ body over judicial report
Fissures emerged within the AMMA in the wake of the release of the Hema committee report on the plight of women in the Malayalam film industry.
Updated on Aug 24, 2024 08:30 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Experts recommend five areas for township for Wayanad landslides survivors
The five-member expert team headed by geologist John Mathai, investigating the landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad in which over 230 people were killed, recommended five areas suitable for townships for the survivors.
Updated on Aug 23, 2024 07:00 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Bomb threat triggers full emergency at Thiruvananthapuram airport
A bomb threat on a Mumbai-Thiruvananthapuram Air India flight led to a full emergency at Thiruvananthapuram airport, later deemed a hoax. Police are investigating.
Updated on Aug 23, 2024 03:00 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala HC nod to extract, preserve gametes of critically ill man
The petitioner said that she wanted to cryopreserve her husband’s gametes in order to bear a child through an ART treatment.
Updated on Aug 22, 2024 06:14 AM IST
Women face sexual harassment, abuse in Mollywood, reveals judicial panel report
Women artists and actors in the Malayalam film industry were routinely asked for sexual favours in exchange for opportunities, told to compromise.
Updated on Aug 20, 2024 08:53 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala govt publishes Hema report on sexual harassment in Malayalam film industry
The 235-page report has recorded sordid accounts of women who testified that they were routinely asked for sexual favours in exchange for work opportunities
Updated on Aug 19, 2024 08:18 PM IST
Survival drama ‘Aadujeevitham’ sweeps Kerala film awards, Prithviraj best actor
Prithviraj Sukumaran, who donned the role of 'Najeeb' in ‘Aadujeevitham’ and was praised for undergoing excruciating physical transformation.
Updated on Aug 16, 2024 01:23 PM IST
Vijayan government faces numerous challenges in rehabilitating Wayanad landslide survivors
The daunting task before the CPI(M)-led state government is now the rehabilitation of the survivors, a vast majority of whom have been robbed of their homes, belongings and livelihoods
Updated on Aug 15, 2024 05:40 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Malayalam film industry: Kerala HC allows release of Justice Hema Committee report
The committee was formed in the backdrop of the 17 February 2017 incident in which a leading Malayali actress was kidnapped by a gang of men and sexually assaulted in a moving car near Kochi.
Published on Aug 13, 2024 08:06 PM IST
PM Modi visits disaster-struck Wayanad, promises help
PM Modi visited disaster-hit Kerala, pledging Union support for relief efforts after massive landslides killed 229 people in Wayanad, leaving 130 missing.
Updated on Aug 11, 2024 03:59 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Experts deny reports of booming sounds, tremors in Wayanad
The National Center for Seismology has denied any seismic activity in Wayanad after residents of several panchayats in the hill district in Kerala reported hearing loud sounds and feeling tremors earlier in the day
Updated on Aug 10, 2024 07:46 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi