Actor Sreelekha Mitra who had accused director Ranjith of sexual harassment when she arrived in Kerala for the shoot of his film, has withdrawn from a seminar in Kochi, aimed at discussing the various issues within the film industry. The actor was invited to the event by documentary filmmaker Joshy Joseph who had backed her allegations against Ranjith, but she declined the offer because of the intense media security regarding the issue. She took to social media to apologise for backing out from the seminar, which was cancelled due to her absence.
“August has always made me feel it's 'august' presence..my birth month and the month of my mom's passing , my brother's birth month and the month nd day of my very dear friend's passing . The 15th of August being our Independence Day and the day I moved out of my 'shashur bari' to start( wasn't even sure how) afresh . This August too began with the #rgkarrapemurdercase infuriating all of us across territories ,then the #jhargramelephantkilling to something I never felt would come out in the open after 15 odd years about the #malayalamfilmindustry incident and how I became an integral part of the entire #metoo movement .I had been hounded by press media across country narrating the said incident over n over n over again which took a heavy toll on me as it did back here when I took names of #bengalifilmindustry who's who ..REMEMBER? (sic),” she wrote.
Yes I took a break from everything and travelled to the mountains whose quiet would calm my soul .This was my birthday treat to myself and done giving any justification to anyone for my said act. Sorry I couldn't travel to Kerala for the seminar which had been cancelled because of me. I needed a breather as I have my right to live My Life according to My Choice and have never ever bowed down to the misogynistic society and film industry by and large. Again sorry Mr Joshy Joseph for declining your offer. Hopefully will come back in better times. I HAVE DONE MY BIT NOW LET ME BE,” she added.
