Hema Committee Report: Director Ranjith in trouble after Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra…

A day after acclaimed Malayalam director Ranjith resigned as Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy amidst allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ from Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra, she has officially lodged a complaint with the Kochi city Police Commissioner.

Sreelekha Mitra, a familiar figure during the Bengali film and television scene, accused Ranjith of making her feel ‘uncomfortable’ at some point of a meeting at his apartment in Kochi in reference to his 2009 film, Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha. In her email complaint, she detailed incidents where Ranjith allegedly touched her with “sexual intent” and mentioned that she had informed scriptwriter Joshy Joseph in regards to the positioning.

The allegations have sparked significant controversy, specifically in light of the up-to-the-minute Hema Committee report highlighting “rampant sexual abuse” during the Malayalam film industry. Interestingly, Mitra had previously expressed reluctance to file a complaint, mentioning, “I do no longer prefer to head down there and submit a complaint because I in truth have worked here. The least I expect is an apology.”

Now that a proper complaint has been submitted, it truly is still to be seen whether the police will initiate an investigation into Ranjith’s conduct. There's growing speculation within opposition circles that the CPI-led government will likely be lenient towards Ranjith, as he is reportedly in the case of CM Pinarayi Vijayan and has ties to CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan’s son, who aspires to enter the film industry.

Recalling the alleged incident from 2009, Mitra described how she met Ranjith and his team to discuss a you will well imagine role, best to to find herself facing unwanted advances that prompted her to depart. Ranjith has firmly denied the accusations, asserting that Mitra became merely is termed for an audition.

-with inputs from IANS