Actor says Kerala filmmaker Ranjith forced him to strip, offered money

Amid the ongoing row over sexual harassment cases in the Malayalam film industry, a young male actor has accused Kerala film-maker Ranjith of sexual assault and filed a complaint against him, reported ANI, citing Kerala Police. The accusation has come amid the massive controversy that erupted after the release of the Hema Committee report, shedding light upon “pervasive” sexual exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.
According to the news agency ANI, Ranjith invited the victim to a hotel in Bangalore for an audition. However, the young male actor was allegedly assaulted. Ranjith asked him to strip naked and later assaulted him. The victim earlier thought he was invited to participate in an audition but later realised the situation.
The male actor has filed a complaint with the DGP, and SIT will consider it, reported ANI, citing Kerala Police. The victim claimed that the next day after the incident, Ranjith offered money to the actor.
The report by the Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case. The Hema Committee report made shocking revelations about sexual harassment and exploitation cases in the Malayalam cinema industry.
The panel report, which was formed by a committee, constituting Kerala High Court Judge Justice K. Hema, veteran actress Sarada and retired IAS officer K.B. Valsala Kumari, is based on the atrocities against women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee report was finally released a few weeks ago, leading to massive criticism of the Kerala government.
Since the report has come out, several women actors, and now even a male actor, have come forward and shared their harrowing experience of sexual harassment. Many of them have put allegations against some well-known faces of Malayalam cinema, including director Ranjith and actors Siddique and Mukesh.
Earlier, former union minister and BJP leader V Muarleedharan slammed the Kerala government for “not acting in a timely” manner over the Hema Committee report. He also accused the government of attempting to protect big names of the film industry.