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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rocked by the Hema Committee report, the Malayalam film industry was pushed further into a corner on Sunday after two industry heavyweights quitting their respective posts following accusations of sexual harassment by female actors.
Filmmaker Ranjith, who was accused of sexual misdemeanour by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra, resigned as chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy while veteran actor Siddique quit his post as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) after actor Revathy Sampath accused the veteran actor of sexually assaulting her in 2019.
In a voice clip released to the media, Ranjith, while announcing his decision to quit, termed the allegation by Sreelekha Mitra as part of an effort by a "group of people" ever since he assumed the position as chairman of Chalachitra Academy.
The alleged sexual misbehaviour against Sreelekha Mitra happened when she came to Kerala for the audition of Ranjith-directed 2009 film 'Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha'. "The damage caused to me cannot be erased quickly. Still, I need to prove my innocence. I need to come clean before the public. A part of the allegation (by Mitra) is a lie," he said.
Culture minister Saji Cherian told the media that Ranjith had called him and informed his desire to step down from office. Refusing to assure the initiation of any action specifically against the filmmaker, the minister said that the perpetrators would be brought to book and stringent action would be taken against them.
Earlier in the day, actor Siddique quit as general secretary of AMMA. The actor sent a letter to the president of the association, Mohanlal, informing him of his decision to resign from the post. "I am stepping down from the position in light of the allegations against me," he told an online media.
The resignation comes a day after actress Revathy Sampath, who had levelled serious allegations against Siddique in 2019, reiterated that he had sexually abused her. According to Sampath, Siddique contacted her using a fake social media account under the guise of discussing a film project in 2016, when she was 21 years old.
"He's a criminal. He subjected me to sexual assault for an hour. He asked me to come to Hotel Mascot to discuss the offer. I was caught unawares when he asked me immediately whether I was ready for adjustments. When I expressed shock, he became explicit in his demands saying that his sexual fantasies include women with long nails," she said.
Siddique was elected as the association general secretary only two months ago, after Edavela Babu resigned. Edavela Babu has also been accused of sexual abuse by a junior artist. AMMA has come under scrutiny after the release of the Hema Committee report which detailed systemic violence and discrimination against women in the Malayalam film industry. Several women in the industry have been coming out and sharing their experiences of facing abuse and discrimination since the release of the report.
With situations unfolding very fast, all eyes are on whether any more skeletons will come out of the cupboard. "The revelations made in the report and after the release of the report are shocking. Those who have faced exploitation have spoken out. It means there is exploitation. How can we deny their complaints by saying there is no exploitation? Further investigation should be carried out as the High Court directs," Jagadeesh, vice president of A.M.M.A, said on Friday.
