Senior actor resigns his post from Actors’ Association after facing sexual harassment allegations

The Kerala state government established the Hema Committee following allegations of sexual harassment against actresses in the Malayalam film industry. This committee conducted investigations involving several actors and actresses and recently submitted its report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The report indicates that many actresses have been sexually harassed.

One specific allegation came from actress Revathy Sampath, who accused renowned actor Siddique, of sexual misconduct. She claimed that he invited her to a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, coerced her into “adjustments,” and subjected her to an hour of sexual harassment when she was just 21 years old. Revathy also stated that Siddique threatened her, saying she couldn’t do anything against him if she spoke out.

In the wake of these allegations, Siddique resigned from his position as General Secretary of the Kerala Film Actors’ Association, and it is expected that the police will take action against him. This incident has created a significant stir in the Malayalam film industry.

Also, actress Sreelekha Mitra levelled accusations against director Ranjith. She alleged that he intended to seek sexual favour from her during the audition of his 2009 film “Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha”. Even though Ranjith denied the charges, he resigned from the post of Director of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.