Malayalam director Ranjith has resigned as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy after being accused of sexual misconduct by Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra. The allegations have sparked widespread demand for his resignation, putting the state government under pressure.
It all started when Sreelekha Mitra accused Ranjith of misbehaving with her during the shooting schedule of his film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha in 2009. In a media interaction on Friday, she detailed the incident, stating that she had to withdraw from the project and return to Kolkata.
In the midst of all this, Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cheriyan also jumped into the fray; he defended Ranjith at first but backtracked later, adding more confusion to the criticisms. The chairperson of the Kerala Women’s Commission, P. Satheedevi, said it is ready to probe the issue, even though the allegation came through the media.
Ranjith’s resignation comes in the wake of a sharp focus on the Malayalam film industry over the recent Hema Committee report that brought to light the widespread sexual harassment in the industry. The report points to allegations beyond the casting couch, including vulgar comments at workplaces and inappropriate gestures by male colleagues.
The situation has also caused senior Malayalam actor Siddique to resign from the general secretary position of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) following another serious allegation by an actress against him.
Ranjith, who has been a leading figure in Malayalam cinema for over four decades, was named the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy by the CPI (M) government in 2021. Strongly denying the allegations brought by Sreelekha Mitra, he claimed to be the victim in the ongoing debate.
The Opposition has vociferously pointed fingers at the state government and criticized it over the situation. The Hema committee has filed their report, which is ominous for the state government that badly failed to manage the whole situation.
Sources: India Today, Pinkvilla
