Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cheriyan declared that the state government did not demand the resignation of filmmaker Ranjith from the post of Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman over the allegation of Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra. The actor alleged that Ranjith who is known for superhit films like 'Nandanam' and 'Ravanaprabhu' had misbehaved with her at a hotel in Kochi during the discussion of his film 'Paleri Manickyam'.
Talking to Manorama News, the minister pointed out Ranjith should decide on his resignation. He added that the director did not inform the department about his plans to step down as Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman.
“ If Ranjith is proven guilty, the government will take action against him. I never said anywhere that the government would protect him. LDF government would ensure that no woman is ill-treated in the workplace. Because of this, we published the Hema Committee report. We never intended to hide anything. But the revelations in the report are being used for political gains.” said the minister.
At the same time, the minister declared that a probe would be initiated against the filmmaker only after receiving a complaint from Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra.
“ The allegations will be considered valid only if the actor files a complaint. We are asking her to file a complaint for her safety. Registration of a formal complaint is necessary to initiate legal proceedings against the accused. We will examine the scope of receiving her complaint as soon as possible. LDF government will always stand by the victim, not the perpetrator,” added the minister.
But, Mitra has revealed that she has no plans to reach Kerala to file a complaint against the director. She asked the government to take up the matter for her.
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 clarified that there was no sexual assault, she said Ranjith's behaviour gave the impression that such an intention might have been there.
"I immediately communicated my decision not to be part of the project any more, left the place and came back to Kolkata the next day," she added.
"I don't know if he has treated other female actors in the film industry in the same way. It is up to them to open up or not if they have faced a similar situation. Maybe his power and influence played a role for others to not to speak out," she added.
Mitra said she did not have any such experience in the Bengali cinema industry, but that there could be similar situations for other female actors as well with regard to someone. Such women should muster the courage and speak out without any fear.
"The incident in Kerala was years back...but it is heartening that women are speaking out with greater vigour and conviction against any form of misconduct now, taking out rallies, and I am looking forward to the day when number of any instance of gender abuse, misconduct will go down and women will not have such harrowing tales any more," Mitra added.
In Kerala, many demanded Ranjith stepped down as the Chairman of the film academy. Several people including well-known filmmaker Dr Biju came out against Ranjith. While the opposition Congress said it expects Ranjith to step down as film academy chairman, BJP said he has no moral right to continue.
(with PTI inputs)
