Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra accuses Malayalam director Ranjith of 'inappropriate behaviour'

Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra has alleged that Ranjith, the filmmaker and chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, behaved inappropriately with her during the pre-production phase of the 2009 Malayalam film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha, starring Mammootty.

In an interview with Malayalam news channel Asianet on Friday (August 23), Mitra said she had visited an apartment in Kochi (in 2009) to discuss a role in the film, where Ranjith and his team were present. During the meeting, she claimed that Ranjith made unwelcome advances, leaving her uncomfortable. She said she immediately left after informing a team member that she would not be acting in the film.

“I went into his bedroom, which was poorly lit, and we went to the balcony and he was playing with my bangles. In fact, I thought he wanted to see my bangles. I was giving him the benefit of doubt. Then, he started playing with my hair and touching the nape of my neck. I walked out," she said.

Ranjith denies allegations

Ranjith, however, denied the allegations.

"She came to my apartment in Kochi as she was being considered for one of the roles in Paleri Manikyam. Filmmaker Shankar Ramakrishnan, also my assistant, was present there. It was Ramakrishnan who narrated the story and I spoke with her on the balcony. No such incident took place. In fact, we found her unsuitable for the role. The next day, Ramakrishnan called her up and informed her of the same,” said Ranjith, speaking to multiple channels.