Shake up • Top Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan (left in pic) stepped down as the chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy on Sunday after Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused him of sexual misconduct. • Actor Siddique (right in pic) also resigned as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following sexual assault allegations raised by actress Revathy Sampath. • The resignations come in the wake of public outcry triggered by the recent public release of the Hema Committee report which revealed gender abuses and sexual exploitation in the Malayalam film industry.
Ranjith’s case • Mitra revealed to the media on Friday that Ranjith had misbehaved with her when she was invited to his residence to discuss a project in 2009. • She said she felt uncomfortable after he made “subtle advances” and that she left Kerala the following day. • Even as a section in the state government continued to back him, pressure mounted from the ruling Left-front to oust him from the post and initiate a probe.
Siddique’s case • Revathy had revealed in 2019 about being “raped” by Siddique in 2016. • She alleged that he claimed she could do nothing, and could complain to anyone she wished to, because he was that powerful. • Once the report came out last week, and Siddique spoke to the media about AMMA’s response to it, the survivor spoke out again. • Two days ago, he also said in a press conference by AMMA that he was not aware of ‘casting couch’.
The findings • The Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government in the aftermath of an assault case involving an actress. • The actress had alleged that she was assaulted by a group of men while travelling in 2017. • The case made national headlines when actor Dileep, one of Malayalam cinema’s biggest names, was named as one of the accused. • Although the report was handed to the government in 2019, it took more than four and a half years for its details to be revealed, with some sections containing accounts of harassment and abuse. being censored.