Actor Sreelekha Mitra- The Week

Interview/ Sreelekha Mitra, actor

Sreelekha Mitra is known for her contributions to Bengali cinema and for her role as a champion of women’s and animal rights. A leftist sympathiser and a regular presence at party meetings and public programmes, she filed a police complaint against popular Malayalam film director Ranjith for misconduct, forcing him to resign as chairperson of the Kerala Film Academy. She was offered a role in Ranjith’s film Paleri Manikyam from 2009.

V/ Ranjith has announced that he will take legal action.

A/ He has the right to take legal action. Who would openly admit to wrongdoing? When it comes to something like sexual exploitation, even seemingly innocent gestures like touching someone’s bangles or hair cannot be taken lightly. Women know the difference between good and bad touches; we have known it since childhood. I am not against Ranjith or anyone else in this industry because it does not benefit me. I only want the Rs23,000 I spent on my return flight. However, the trauma I went through that night and the next day was unthinkable.

Q/ Ranjith claims that this allegation is part of a larger conspiracy against him and the Left government in Kerala?

A/ What conspiracy is he talking about? I am a leftist sympathizer and a fervent supporter, but no one is above the party. He is responsible for his actions. This is not about one person; it is about a broader problem that exists in many industries, especially the film industry because of the glamour, the money and the fame that comes with it. That is why it gets so much media attention. If you were to expose it, 90 percent of the people would definitely end up behind bars. This behavior has been normalized, as if people think that they have to give something to get something.

I didn’t give him any such signal, especially because I was trying to save my marriage at that time. Yes, he was a handsome, charming and eloquent man, and in another time or situation I might have liked him. But then I was very loyal and faithful to my husband. This is not a conspiracy. And if it is, I would say it is more likely a conspiracy by the Trinamool Congress government. Maybe they know that I am a Leftist and they have set this up so that a Leftist from Bengal will talk about another comrade in Kerala and the Kerala government.

Q/ What made you decide not to file a complaint in the first place?

A/ I have made my point and I don’t want to pursue all these legal issues. I can’t really say that he raped me or sexually abused me. That’s not the case. Maybe if I had known you longer, I would have come and hugged you, and you would have hugged me. But that’s not the case. I met this person for the first time and he tried to turn me on romantically when I wasn’t in that zone. You have to understand a woman’s body language and attitude towards you.