Kolkata: Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra has accused director and Kerala State Film Academy Chairman, Ranjith, of behaving improperly with her. She alleges that after inviting her to act in the Malayalam movie 'Paleri Manikyam', Ranjith touched her arm in a manner that felt inappropriate. He also toyed with her bangles and stroked her hair, the actor said.
When he attempted to touch her neck, she left the room. Following this incident, she left without acting in the movie the next day. While she clarifies that there was no sexual assault, she said Ranjith's behaviour gave the impression that such an intention might have been there.
Documentary filmmaker Joshy Joseph told Manorama that Sreelekha had shared her experience with him at the time. Living between Kolkata and Kerala, Joshy said he was in town then and after Sreelekha told him about the incident over the phone, he brought her to his home.
I am the victim: Ranjith
Ranjith responded, saying Sreelekha was called in for an audition for Paleri Manikyam, not to act in the film. He said her performance was not up to their expectations, and apart from lending her a cigarette, he had no close interactions with her. The assistant director, Shankar Ramakrishnan, informed her the next day that her performance was unsatisfactory. Ranjith added that he later learned that she had spoken to Shankar angrily.
Ranjith suggested that the current controversy must be driven by some other motive. He said, "Here, I am the victim and she is the hunter. If she pursues legal action, I will face it the same way."