Actress Ritabhari urges CM to launch investigation

KOLKATA: After the Hema Commission report exposed sexual harassment, exploitation and lobbying in the Malayalam film industry, renowned director Ranjith resigned as the chairperson of the Kerala Film Academy following allegations made by Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra. Now, another Bengali actress, Ritabhari Chakraborty, has urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to conduct a similar probe into the Bengali film industry.

Recently, an actress filed a complaint with the West Bengal Women’s Commission about the inappropriate behavior of a Bengali filmmaker. On Monday, Ritabhari took to social media to ask if a similar inquiry like the Hema Committee Report could be initiated in the Bengali film industry. The ‘Fatafati’ actress also highlighted how heroes, producers and directors continue to work with such “dirty minds and behaviors” without facing any consequences for their actions. She even pointed out that some of them were seen holding candles for the victim of RG Kar’s rape-murder.

Ritabhari has called on her fellow actresses to “expose these predators.” She said actresses are afraid of losing their jobs because these “men are influential,” but wondered how long they will have to remain silent. She did not mince her words when she said that many aspiring actresses have come to see the film industry as a “sugar-coated brothel.”

“Don’t we have a responsibility towards the young actresses who come into the industry with dreams and are made to believe that this is nothing but a sugar-coated brothel?” the ‘Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti’ actress posted, urging the CM to initiate a similar inquiry like the one in the Malayalam film industry to report and reform the Bengali film industry. “Didi, we need a similar inquiry in our industry immediately. No, we don’t want another case of rape or sexual assault before we are finally taken seriously. Being in show business doesn’t give any man the right to treat us as a commodity or their targets to quench their thirst for power or sex,” Ritabhari wrote on social media. Several celebrities including Rupanjana Mitra, Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee, Anik Dutta and Rupali Bhattacharya have come forward in support of Ritabhari. “Those abusers should be thrown out of the industry and if they participate in candlelight marches, they should be publicly beaten up,” Rupanjana said.