Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accuses Malayalam director Ranjith of ‘inappropriate behaviour’

Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra and Malayalam director Ranjith

As the Justice Hema Commission report creates a storm in both the Malayalam film industry and the political landscape of Kerala, West Bengal-based actor Sreelekha Mitra has levelled allegations of inappropriate behaviour by popular Malayalam director and chairman of Kerala Chalachitra Academy, Ranjith.

The actor said that she faced this during the audition for the film ‘Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha’ in 2009, which won several state awards. The actor alleged that despite her complaint, no action has been taken so far.

Ranjith has said that he did not misbehave with the actress and that the only reason she was denied the role was because she did not suit the role.

The film she auditioned for – Paleri Manikyam – released in 2009. The Bengali actor alleged that she was mistreated by the director and that she spent an entire night in a hotel fearing what he would do. She added that despite filing a complaint over the incident, no action has been taken so far.

Sreelekha further stated that since she was against the inappropriate behavior, she was not considered for the role in that film or any other films thereafter in Mollywood. Moreover, she said that she was not given money to return home and had to travel back with her own money.

Sreelekha further urged others who faced similar misconduct to come forward with their complaints and name the perpetrators. She also suggested that committees like the Hema committee, which looked into issues of inappropriate behaviour or similar issues in the Malayalam film industry, should be set up in other languages to address similar concerns.

Related: Controversy over Justice Hema Committee report: Opposition accuses government of selectively selecting information

What the Hema Justice Committee Report Said

The Kerala government on Monday, August 19, released the Justice K Hema Committee report exposing harassment of women actors in the film industry. The report was released after the Kerala High Court rejected actor Ranjini’s pleas against the release of the report. She had said that she was among those who had given their statements to the committee but had not been given a copy.

The report delves deep into everything from wage discrimination to sexual exploitation, and exposes the hidden harassment in the Malayalam film industry. It also revealed the casting couch culture and the silent suffering of women in cinema. The government released a 233-page document, with some parts that reveal the personal information of actors omitted.

The report said that female actors are typically expected to provide sexual favors to insiders. The controller or the one making an offer for a role in the cinema first approaches the woman (in some cases a girl) or if it is the other way around, a woman approaches every person in the cinema seeking an opportunity, she is told that she has to make “adjustments” and “compromises” to make her way into the cinema, the report said.

“Compromise” and “adjustment” are two terms that are very familiar to women in the Malayalam film industry and they are asked to make themselves available for sex on demand. The report also throws light on the difficult challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.

(Edited by Neena with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)

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