Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra has accused Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith of sexually harassing her. The actress’ allegations come at a time when the findings of the Justice Hema Committee report have already left the nation shocked, with many demanding strict punishment against the accused.
Malayalam Filmmaker Ranjith Accused of Sexual Harassment
Sreelekha was recently speaking to Asianet News when she accused Ranjith of sexually harassing her during the auditions for his 2009 film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha. “I was talking on the phone to a cinematographer, standing in Ranjith’s bedroom balcony. As I stood there, he touched my bangles. I was uncomfortable with it, but I gave him the benefit of doubt. Then he started caressing my neck, so I excused myself and left the room,” the actress said.
She further described the incident as traumatic and added, “I was not able to share the incident with anyone. After the incident, I spent the night in my hotel room in fear, thinking, what if people come and knock on my door? I was waiting for daylight.”
The actress also claimed that after the incident she was not provided any travel tickets to return home. Not just this, she alleged that the shocking incident also shut doors for her in the Malayalam film industry.
Ranjith Calls Actress’ Allegations ‘Fabricated’
Director Ranjith also reacted to the Bengali actress’ allegations and counter-accused her of spreading lies. He called her claims ‘fabricated’ and said, “I interacted with her in the presence of screenwriter Shankar Ramakrishnan and two assistants. After Ramakrishnan narrated the story to Sreelekha, she was excited. I had some confusion about which character should be given to her.” He further alleged that Sreelekha has been making allegations because she was not given a role in the movie.
Kerala Minister Reacts To ‘Sexual Harassment’ Allegations
Meanwhile, Kerala Minister Saji Cherian has also reacted to the Bengali actress’ allegations. “Someone has raised a complaint publicly and the director has already denied the allegations publicly. If they formally register a complaint, it should be investigated. Without an investigation, we can not assume the allegations against him are true. He completely denied it, so it needs to be subjected to an investigation,” he said.
The minister further defended Ranjit and mentioned that a case can be filed only if a written complaint is given. It should be noted that Ranjith is the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy – a government initiative to promote Malayalam cinema.
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