Malayalam director Ranjith accused of 'misbehaviour' by Bengali actress

Pressure is mounting on prominent Malayalam film director Ranjith to step down as the Chairman of the staterun Kerala State Chalachitra Academy KSCA after Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra accused the filmmaker of behaving with her in an inappropriate mannerMitra a popular face in the Bengali film and television industry accused Ranjith of misbehaving with her when she went to meet the director at an apartment in connection with the latters film lsquoPaleri Manikyam Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katharsquo in 2009 which made her feel uncomfortableThe director has strongly denied the allegationsThe charges against Ranjith have created an uproar as it came in the wake of the Hema Committee report which was made public recently exposing rampant sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industryRanjith is known to be close to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and according to sources the latter had reportedly backed him earlier when he was caught in a tiff over alleged wranglings in the KSCAMeanwhile leaders of the opposition Congress and BJP have now joined the growing clamour seeking Ranjiths resignation as the KSCA chiefIn fact Annie Raja senior CPI leader and the wife of the partys General Secretary D Raja too has asked Ranjith to quit and come cleanCPI is the second biggest ally in the LDFled state government which fielded her as a candidate in the recent Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad where she lost to Congress Rahul Gandhi by over 3 lakh votesMeanwhile a section in the ruling CPIM also feels that in the wake of the Hema Committee report that has become a burning issue in the state it will be good if Ranjith quits as KSCA Chairman given the way the report flagged rampant sexual abuse allegedly prevailing in the Malayalam film industryHowever Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian on Saturday strongly defended the filmmaker saying ldquoRanjith has said that he is innocent If anyone has a complaint it should be given in writing so that a probe can be conducted He Ranjith is a hugely popular artiste and nothing should be done just on the basis of a statement A mere allegation wonrsquot suffice there has to be a written complaint and then only a probe can be launched Without that nothing can be done What if the allegation turns out be wrongrdquoKerala State Womenrsquos Commission Chairperson and former CPIM MP P Sathidevi said she has only heard about the issue through media and she will seek a report on it from the state governmentOn Saturday Ranjiths official car was spotted at a private resort in Wayanad where Youth Congress workers assembled and raised slogans demanding his resignation Later the official vehicle of the KSCA was seen moving out of the resortThe police have now decided to provide security cover at the directors residence in KozhikodeMeanwhile Veteran director Badran said that it would be best if Ranjith quits as KSCA chief since the charges levelled against him are serious adding that he could always return once cleared of the allegationsEarlier recalling the incident that allegedly took place at Kochi in 2009 Mitra said that she had gone to an apartment where she met Ranjith and other members of his team to discuss a role in the film lsquoPaleri Manikyam Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katharsquo During the discussions Ranjith reportedly made advances towards her causing her discomfortShe left the place immediately after conveying to one of Ranjiths team members that she would not be part of the project Mitra saidI do not want to go down there and submit a complaint because I have work here The least I expect is an apologyrdquo Mitra saidRanjith has vehemently denied the allegations saying Mitra was only called for an auditionWith the Congressled Opposition accusing the Pinarayi Vijayan government of shielding the guilty in the wake of the revelations made in the Hema Committee report the latest charge against Ranjith has further complicated matters for the state governmentWith even the Kerala High Court dropping enough hints that the delay in releasing the Hema Committee report which was submitted in 2019 by the Vijayan government cannot be brushed away all eyes will be on the court when it takes up the matter for hearing on September 10