MeToo in Mollywood: FIR filed against director Ranjith
The Kerala Police have filed an FIR against director Ranjith after sexual harassment allegations were levelled against him amid a deluge of similar claims made by female actors against top names in the Mollywood industry.
The case was reportedly filed against the director after Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra filed a complaint against him with the Kochi city police commissioner.
The complaint, sent via an email to the police, alleged that Ranjith had touched the actress inappropriately with sexual intent after inviting her to act in the movie ‘Paleri Manikyam’ in 2009, reports Hindustan Times.
Meanwhile, southern superstar Mohanlal has quit as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), days after allegations of sexual assault and rape hit several top names in the Mollywood industry.
According to reports, all members of the film body's executive committee have resigned.
The film body said a new committee would be formed following the elections in two months.
The Mollywood industry received a shock after top names faced sexual assault complaints following the public release of the Justice Hema Committee report recently.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a high-level meeting amid mounting pressure and decided to establish a seven-member special team to probe the atrocities women actors and others faced in the industry.
With tension rising, Director Ranjith and actor Siddique resigned from state-run film academy and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A).