In response to allegations of harassment made by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra, Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith resigned from his position as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy. After he resigned, he denied the accusations.

When Mitra was invited to Ranjith’s house to discuss a project in 2009 Paleri manikyam’s pre production he mistreated her, she disclosed to the media on Friday. She claimed that after he made cautious advances, she felt uneasy. The next day, she departed Kerala. Ranjith refuted the allegations, stating that Mitra had been invited for an audition for the film Paleri Manikyam, but he had returned her after determining she was unfit for the role.

Sreelekha had mentioned that Ranjith was in the middle of a phone call during their meeting at an apartment. There were numerous individuals present. He was speaking with the cinematographer I had previously collaborated with over the phone. Ranjith invited me to another room, where the bedroom was dark, and asked if I wanted to talk to the cinematographer. Ranjith, the cinematographer, was playing with my bangles and touching the skin when I was on the phone with him.

“we women have the sixth sense. I was attempting to be understanding even though it made me uneasy. He seemed to want to see my bangles, so I assumed I was overanalyzing the situation. With him, I was not at ease. He started playing with my neck and hair after he saw that I was not responding or reclaiming my hand. I excused myself and left the room after that. There was nothing shocking about this. I’m familiar with the general operations of the film business. Good and evil people exist, she said.

Following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed rampant casting couch abuses, sexual abuse, and wage discrepancies, the allegations came amid an explosive period in the Malayalam cinema industry.

 Actor Siddique Resigns from AMMA Amid sexual assault allegations.

After being invited to a movie discussion, a young female actor claimed on August 24 that Siddique had sexually assaulted her. This led to Siddique’s resignation. Siddique informed the media that he had sent his letter of resignation to AMMA President Mohanlal. “Yes. I have tendered my official resignation to the president of the organisation, Mohanlal. Since there were charges against me, I have decided not to remain in the role and resigned,” Siddique stated.

Given the recent disclosures from the Hema Committee report, both resignations are viewed as critical turning points in the continuing battle against industry abuse. The claims first came to light soon after the Hema Committee report, which exposed institutionalized sexual harassment and abuse in the Malayalam cinema industry, was made public. The investigation highlighted multiple examples of exploitation, casting couch abuses, and other sorts of misbehavior.