Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra has accused popular Malayalam director and Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman Ranjith of misbehaving with her. Due to the director's indecent behaviour, she was forced to spend an entire night in fear at her hotel room, 48-year-old Mitra said.
The artist's allegations comes only days after a redacted version of the Hema Commission report narrated rampant sexual harassment and ill-treatment of women in the Malayalam film industry.
Sreelekha Mitra said she had a bitter experience with Ranjith while shooting his multiple State-Award winning 'Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha' in 2009. "He played with my bangles. I felt uncomfortable but gave him the benefit of the doubt," she said.
Sreelekha further alleged that the award-winning director caressed her hair and neck.
Following an audition, the producer of the movie invited her to attend a party, Mitra said. At the packed venue, Ranjith invited her to his room. She went to meet him believing it was to discuss the project but was shocked by his behaviour, the actor said.
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As she stormed out of the director's room, she lost the part in 'Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha' and never got another chance in Mollywood.
"I went back the next day, I called, I try to call the producer or the production person, I don't know, but I was not provided with the ticket. I asked for a return ticket, I was not provided with that. So I spend my own money. I bought tickets and it was difficult, finding the connecting flight. But I had to because I couldn't stay there for a day, I was hyper. I was so hyper, I was so scared. I cannot go back, so I had to get the ticket. I had to come back so that was the thing. It was not a good memory," she told Asianet News.
"This was not a normal gesture. He was testing the waters -- whether complying or not allowing him to go further. The second time. I put my foot down and prevented from going further because if he was innocent, then he or somebody from his unit would have called me (to explain) that maybe you are mistaken," she said.
She was cast for Ranjith's crime-mystery thriller based on her performance in 'Akale', another critically acclaimed Malayalam movie.