"Action is guaranteed..." Kerala Minister Cherian On Allegations Against Malayalam Filmmaker Ranjith

Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra has accused Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith of sexual harassment.

(Image: IMDb)

Kerala: Kerala Cultural and Youth Affairs Minister Saji Cherian on Saturday said that action is "assured" if allegations of inappropriate behaviour against a woman actor by director and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Ranjith are proven.

"The government will not protect whoever makes the mistake. Action assured if the allegations against Film Academy Chairman Ranjith are proved," he wrote on Facebook.

Earlier, filmmaker Biju had demanded the removal of Ranjith from the position of Chalachitra Academy chairman.

In his post on Facebook, the filmmaker said "For the past three years, several allegations have been leveled against the Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. There were complaints that the Chairman directly influenced jury members to grant awards to certain individuals and to deny them to some films. This was openly stated by director Vinayan and two other jury members."

"Similarly, there were complaints regarding the selection of films for the IFFK (International Film Festival of Kerala), where several filmmakers presented digital evidence claiming that films were selected without being watched," filmmaker Biju said.

"The Chairman also stirred controversy by comparing the audience to dogs during the closing ceremony of the film festival. Additionally, during the last film festival, this same Chairman made defamatory remarks in public media against me and other film professionals," the post continued.

"General Council members of the Chalachitra Academy themselves have issued public statements calling for the Chairman's removal. While the Cultural Minister has made statements saying that these issues will be investigated and explanations sought, no action has been taken so far," wrote filmmaker Biju on the social media platform.

Referring to the row over the Hema Committee report, the filmmaker said in his post, "Now, following the Hema Committee report, a revelation from an actress has also surfaced against the Academy Chairman. If there is any sense of morality left, the Chairman should be immediately removed. A public sexual harassment allegation against someone in a position of responsibility cannot be taken lightly. The Cultural Minister might consider this person a legend--that is his personal freedom--but when someone is accused of inappropriate behavior towards women, they are no longer fit to hold the position of Academy Chairman, not for even a moment."

He further said,"If Ranjith has any doubts about my relevance in this matter, let me clarify that I have previously written a lengthy note on this subject. I won't repeat that now. I will only state one point of relevance: the salary you receive, the money for your car, and your house rent all come from taxpayers like me. As a taxpaying citizen of the state, I am using my relevance to say that in the light of these accusations, the government must immediately remove the Chairman.'' 

Considering the government's silence on the various allegations against the Chairman and the secrecy surrounding the Hema Committee report, I know there is little chance that the Chairman will voluntarily resign or be removed. However, I must express my dismay that the state of Kerala has to bear the burden of entrusting responsible positions to these disgraceful individuals."

Meanwhile, the Youth Congress has filed a complaint demanding an investigation against the Film Academy chairman Ranjith.

The complaint has been filed with the Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) demanding an investigation against the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Chairman.
Youth Congress Vice President Abin Varkey lodged the complaint, urging an inquiry in light of recent revelations made by a Bengali actress.

The complaint calls for a thorough investigation into Ranjith's actions, emphasizing the need for accountability.

This complaint follows an earlier demand by the Youth Congress for action based on the findings of the Justice Hema Committee report, which highlighted issues within the Malayalam film industry.

Last week, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report was made public which revealed several instances of sexual harassment of female actors in the Malayalam film industry.

On the Hema Committee report, Kerala Assembly Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan said that the Kerala Culture Minister should tender his resignation.

"Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian is trying to avoid an investigation into the recommendations and revelations of the Hema Committee. He has been trying to make some changes to the report...He is now violating his oath and trying to protect all the culprits in this case. So he has to resign," Satheesan said.

"The opposition UDF demands his resignation...The government know the fact that a series of offences have been committed. Despite knowing all this, the government is not taking any action. They are not ready to make an investigation team. We demand the government to constitute an investigation team..." he said.