Bengali Actress Sreelekha Mitra Accuses Filmmaker Ranjith of Misconduct

Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra has made serious allegations against filmmaker Ranjith, who is also the chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. The accusations stem from an incident that occurred during the pre-production period of the 2009 Malayalam film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha.

During a media briefing, Ms. Mitra stated that she visited an apartment in Kochi to discuss a potential role in the film, where Mr. Ranjith and other members of the creative team were present. She alleged that Ranjith made inappropriate advances towards her, which left her feeling uncomfortable and distressed.

In her account of the event, Ms. Mitra expressed her immediate desire to leave the apartment after informing a team member of her decision not to participate in the film. She reported feeling frightened and chose to return home on the next available flight, which she paid for herself.

When contacted for further details, Ms. Mitra confirmed her allegations and mentioned that she had shared her experience with documentary filmmaker Joshy Joseph on the same day of the incident. Mr. Joseph affirmed that she had reached out to him, sounding traumatized following the encounter.

According to Mr. Joseph, he took Ms. Mitra to his residence to help her recover from the ordeal, during which she recounted the inappropriate behavior she had endured. He indicated that although they considered making her experience public at that time, Ms. Mitra was reluctant to pursue the matter further.

Filmmaker Ranjith has denied the allegations, stating that Ms. Mitra’s visit to his apartment involved discussions about the film in the presence of his team members. He asserted that the claimed misconduct did not occur and explained that she was ultimately deemed unsuitable for the role she had auditioned for.

In a separate interview, Ms. Mitra reiterated her assertion that Ranjith had touched her inappropriately under the guise of discussing the film, which led her to flee the meeting out of fear. She mentioned her decision to withdraw from the film and highlighted issues with being denied support for her return travel arrangements.