Malayalam director Ranjith has resigned as the chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy. The development occurred after Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra alleged that the filmmaker tried to make advances towards her during the pre-production of a 2009 movie.
A key constituent of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Communist Party of India (CPI), was among those calling for an investigation into Mitra's allegations, which resurfaced after Justice Hema Committee's findings.
Talking to PTI, Mitra spoke about the incident concerning Ranjith. She said, "The person concerned (Ranjith) is a big name in Malayalam film industry and a national award-winning director. I went to his residence to discuss an upcoming film project and I did not like his behaviour. He made certain advances subtly and I felt uncomfortable while we were discussing the script." In spite of expressing her disapproval, the filmmaker continued his act.
"I immediately communicated my decision not to be part of the project any more, left the place and came back to Kolkata the next day," she added.
The 'Chaar' actor also said, "I don't know if he has treated other female actors in the film industry in the same way. It is upto them to open up or not if they had faced similar situation. May be his power and influence played a role for others to not to speak out."
Mitra mentioned that she hadn’t faced such issues in the Bengali cinema industry but acknowledged that other female actors might have similar experiences. She urged these women to find the courage to speak out without fear.
"The incident in Kerala was years back...but it is heartening that women are speaking out with greater vigour and conviction against any form of misconduct now, taking out rallies, and I am looking forward to the day when number of any instance of gender abuse, misconduct will go down and women will not have such harrowing tales any more," Mitra added.
In Kerala, there were widespread calls for Ranjith to resign as the film academy chairman, with prominent voices like filmmaker Dr Biju speaking out against him.
The allegations surfaced during a turbulent time in the Malayalam film industry, following the Justice Hema Committee report, which revealed widespread casting couch practices, sexual abuse and pay disparities.
