Actor Sreelekha Mitra accuses Malayalam director Ranjith of ‘misconduct'

Malayalam director Ranjith Balakrishnan has found himself amid controversy after Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused him of misbehaving. The actress has made shocking revelations against Ranjith saying that he behaved inappropriately with her when she first came to work in the Malayalam movie Paleri Manikyam. However, the director has denied all the accusations against him.

During her interview with Asianet News, the actress recalled that Ranjith misbehaved withher when she auditioned for his 2009 movie Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha.

Alleging Ranjith of inappropriately touching her, the actresssaid she was with the filmmaker in a hotel room when the traumatic incident happened.

“I was talking on the phone to a cinematographer, standing in Ranjith’s bedroom balcony. As I stood there, he touched my bangles. I was uncomfortable with it, but I gave him the benefit of doubt. Then he started caressing my neck, so I excused myself and left the room,” the actress said.

Sharing more about the night, she said, “I was not able to share the incident with anyone. After the incident, I spent the night in my hotel room in fear, thinking, what if people come and knock on my door? I was waiting for daylight.”

The actress said she quit the movie the next day and even complained about Ranjith's actions. However, no action was taken by him.

Following this incident, she didn't get any work opportunities in the Malayalam industry.

The actress claimed that she had talked about the incident with documentary filmmaker Joshy Joseph. However, no action was taken.

In a statement,Joseph has supported her claims, saying,quoted by The Hindu, “I had put her in touch with Mr Ramakrishnan several days earlier. After she met Mr. Ranjith, she called me. She sounded very traumatised over the phone. Later, I went and took her to my home to calm her down. On the way, she narrated the incident to me. I had shared the incident with a few others, including writer K.R. Meera. Though we thought of making it an issue back then, Ms. Mitra was hesitant.''

Denying the allegations, Ranjith Balakrishnan said in a statement to The Hindu, “It is true that she came to my apartment in Kochi as she was being considered for one of the roles in Paleri Manikyam. Filmmaker Shankar Ramakrishnan as well as my assistants were present at the flat during the time. Mr. Ramakrishnan narrated the story and I spoke with her on the balcony, but the incident that she alleges has not taken place. We found her unsuitable for that particular role. The next day, Mr. Ramakrishnan called her up and informed the same.”

(With inputs from agencies)