Ranjith and Siddiqui leave AMMA amid sexual harassment allegations

AMMA Secretary General Siddique resigned on Sunday amid allegations that he raped an actress when she was young. This follows his statement during AMMA’s August 23 press conference in which he claimed he was unaware of the casting couch in the industry.

The alleged incident took place five years ago, but the victim first came forward in 2016. However, she reiterated her allegations after the Hema Commission report was released, which exposed widespread gender discrimination and exploitation of women in Malayalam film industry.

In a resignation letter sent to Mohanlal last week, Siddique revealed that he had resigned due to allegations against him and said, “It would not be right for me to continue in my post in this situation.” He further added that he would discuss the matter through legal means.

At the same time, Ranjith, the Malayalam film director, resigned as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy. He stepped down after being accused of misconduct by Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra. In his resignation letter to Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian, he said that he would no longer hold the office in view of the allegations.

According to Sreelekha Mitra, she was assaulted by Ranjith in 2009 during the production of Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha. She had an awkward conversation with Ranjith in a house where he made inappropriate conversations on his mobile phone.

Though he said these allegations were baseless as they were part of a larger conspiracy against the LDF government by its opponents, he stated that he was in fact the victim in this case.

The resignations came after the publication of the report by the Hema Commission, which was set up following the abduction and sexual assault of a leading Malayalam actress in 2017. The incident sent shockwaves across Kerala and led to the formation of Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an organisation that campaigns for gender equality and safety in the industry.

The Hema committee, headed by Hinduja Global’s veteran Kerala High Court Judge K Hema, conducted a wide-ranging investigation into the persistent issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry. It’s only been a few days since the committee’s 295-page report, submitted in December 2019, was made public, unravelling the underlying struggles faced by women in their lived experience.

These firings of Ranjith and Siddique are significant for the film industry regarding the treatment and accountability of women in this matter after such shocking revelations.