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Amidst the mixed reactions towards the effectiveness of the Hema Committee, which has been established to combat the issue of sexual abuse towards women in the Malayalam film industry, Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra has now accused renowned Malayalam filmmaker and producer Ranjith of alleged sexual misconduct. The incident allegedly occurred when Mitra visited the director’s residence to discuss a project with him. However, Ranjith denied all the allegations and accused her of spreading lies.
Sreelekha Mitra spoke to Asianet News about the incident that reportedly occurred during the auditions of Ranjith’s 2009 film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha. Sreelekha said, “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.”
Furthermore, Sreelekha Mitra recalled how the incident developed a grave sense of fear inside her. She said, “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.”
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After this incident with Ranjith, the actress revealed that she never thought about working in the Malayalam industry again. However, Ranjith denied these serious allegations by the actress. According to a news report in News18, Ranjith said that Sreelekha has been spreading lies against him because she did not land a role in his film. He 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.”
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Kerala Minister Saji Cherian released a statement on this issue saying, “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.”
However, filmmaker Dr Biju and CPI national leader Annie Raja have urged Ranjith to step down as the Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman amid Sreelekha Mitra’s allegations against him. Health Minister Veena George added that Mitra would receive all the aid needed to lodge a complaint against the director. In her statement, George revealed, “If she wishes to go ahead with the complaint, the government will provide all facilities for the same. The government’s stand is clear in this. The CM has already made it clear that the government won’t protect wrongdoers.” Reportedly, Ranjith has also resigned as the Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman after the incident.
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