Filmmaker Ranjith quits as Kerala Chalachitra Academy head over misbehaviour charge

Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith on Sunday resigned as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy following allegations of “misbehaviour” levelled against him by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra.

In an audio clip, Ranjith said he did not want to continue as the chairman as it would “adversely impact the reputation of the Left government”, reported PTI. However, he said that he would fight against the accusations made against him legally.

On Saturday, Mitra accused Ranjith of “making advances” and misbehaving with her while discussing a script.

“The person concerned (Ranjith) is a big name in the Malayalam film industry and a national award-winning director. I went to his residence to discuss an upcoming film project, and I did not like his behaviour. He made certain advances subtly and I felt uncomfortable while we were discussing the script,” she said, as quoted by PTI.

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The actor said that following the misbehaviour, she refused to be a part of the project and returned to Kolkata.

“I don't know if he has treated other female actors in the film industry in the same way. It is up to them to open up or not if they have faced a similar situation. Maybe his power and influence played a role for others to not speak out,” she added.

The incident took place years ago, Mitra claimed.

“…But it is heartening that women are speaking out with greater vigour and conviction against any form of misconduct now, taking out rallies, and I am looking forward to the day when number of any instance of gender abuse, misconduct will go down and women will not have such harrowing tales any more,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ranjith rejected Mitra's allegations and said that he was the “real victim” in the case.

Protests against Ranjith

Following the actor's allegations, massive protests rocked several parts of Kerala, demanding action against the filmmaker. Several people, including well-known filmmaker Dr Biju, came out against him.

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The Youth Congress state vice-president Abin Varkey also lodged a formal complaint with the police chief, demanding action.

While the opposition Congress said it expected Ranjith to step down as film academy chairman, BJP said he had no moral right to continue. Meanwhile, CPI national leader Annie Raja urged the government to carry out a probe based on Mitra's allegations and wanted to keep Ranjith away from the position during the investigation.

(With inputs from PTI)