Filmmaker Ranjith and actor Siddique resign after sexual harassment allegations

Culture Minister Saji Cherian told the media that Ranjith had called him and informed him that he wanted to resign. The minister refused to assure that any action would be taken against the filmmaker specifically, but said that the perpetrators would be brought to justice and strict action would be taken against them.

Earlier in the day, actor Siddique resigned as general secretary of AMMA. The actor sent a letter to the association’s president Mohanlal, informing him of his decision to step down. “I am resigning from the post in view of the allegations against me,” he told an online media.

The resignation comes a day after actress Revathy Sampath, who had made serious allegations against Siddique in 2019, reiterated that he had sexually abused her. According to Sampath, Siddique contacted her in 2016, when she was 21, through a fake social media account under the guise of a film project.

“He is a criminal. He subjected me to sexual abuse for an hour. He asked me to come to Hotel Mascot to discuss the offer. I was surprised when he immediately asked me if I was ready for adjustments. When I reacted with shock, he became explicit in his demands and said that his sexual fantasies included women with long nails,” she said.

Siddique was elected as the general secretary of the association only two months ago, after Edavela Babu stepped down. Edavela Babu has also been accused of sexual abuse by a junior artiste. AMMA has come under scrutiny after the publication of the Hema Commission report, which exposed systematic violence and discrimination against women in the Malayalam film industry. Several women in the industry have come forward and shared their experiences of dealing with abuse and discrimination since the report was published.

With the situation unfolding at a rapid pace, all eyes are on whether more skeletons will come out of the closet. “The revelations in the report and after the publication of the report are shocking. Those who have faced exploitation have spoken out. That means exploitation is happening. How can we deny their complaints by saying there is no exploitation? Further investigations need to be done as directed by the Supreme Court,” Jagadeesh, vice-chairman of AMMA, said on Friday.