Actor Sreelekha Mitra. File
| Photo Credit: X/@SreelekhaSpeaks
Renowned Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra, who recently accused Malayalam filmmaker and former chairperson of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Ranjith of sexual harassment, said the Bengali film industry had alienated her four years back when she spoke about the malpractices and “miscreants” in Tollywood.
Mr. Ranjith had resigned as the chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy following Ms. Mitra’s allegations in the wake of the release of the Justice Hema committee report and a renewed #MeToo movement among women in the Malayalam film industry.
According to media reports, Ms. Mitra also lodged a complaint with the Kochi City Police based on her allegations. However, she declined to comment when asked about that.
The actor, in her complaint, reportedly said that the incident had taken place in a flat in Kerala’s Kochi in 2009 when she was invited to act in the film Palerimanikkam directed by Mr. Ranjith. According to her allegation, the director allegedly clutched her hand during their discussion and then reportedly attempted to touch other parts of her body ‘with sexual intention’.
Director Ranjith.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu
She added that she returned to the hotel where she was staying when she realised the filmmaker’s intentions were sexual and did not pertain to their discussion about the film.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Mitra said, “This was a one-off incident which had happened in Kerala. I never thought that this would blow up to the present condition. I intend to put a lid on it… I was not the one who spoke to the Kerala media. Someone called [director] Joshy Joseph and took my name. These events led to the present scene.”
She added that four years back, following Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, she had taken the names of a few miscreants “among the who’s who of the Tollywood industry” while pointing out the industry’s “pretty apparent practices”.
Speaking about the response of Bengali actors, including women, she said, “Four years back, they said I have been playing a victim card. And now they have formed a forum ensuring the safety of the workplace for women?”
She also raised questions on the stalwarts of the Bengali film industry, who she claimed had isolated when she raised her voice against malpractices in the industry. “What about the people from this [Bengali] industry? What about the women who are the who’s who of this industry? They had tried to defame me,” she said.
She called them the “greatest manipulators, criminals and money launderers”.
Ms. Mitra also said that she is sick and tired of not just men but also the “pettiness, meanness and misogyny of the Tollygunge industry”.
