Senior Malayalam actor Siddique and ace filmmaker Ranjith have quit their respective cinema related positions after sexual misconduct allegations against them. Siddique resigned as the general secretary of Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) on Sunday, a day after an actress had alleged that she was raped by him at a young age.
The senior actor had earlier on August 23 in a press conference by AMMA claimed that he was “not aware of casting couch” in the film industry.
The young actor had first spoken up about the alleged harassment–which took place in 2016– five years ago but reiterated her allegations after the release of the Hema Committee report, which provided a damning indictment of the discrimination and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
According to reports, Siddique said he sent a resignation email to the AMMA president, actor Mohanlal and confirmed that he was quitting because of the allegations against him as it would “not be right to continue in the post in this situation”. The senior actor said that he would respond to the allegations after getting legal advice.
Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith has also stepped down as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy following allegations of misconduct against him by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra. Manorama reported that Ranjith “communicated his decision to Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian, stating that he is unwilling to continue in the position in light of the allegations against him”.
The report added that the filmmaker claimed he was innocent and the “real victim” in the case, terming the allegations against him as an “organised attack against the LDF government”.
Narrating the incident to the media on Friday, Sreelekha had alleged that the incident took place in 2009 when Ranjith’s film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha was under production.
Referring to a meeting with Ranjith at an apartment, Sreelekha had said, “He was on a phone call. There were a lot of people. He was on the phone with the cinematographer with whom I had worked. Asking me whether I want to talk to him (the cinematographer), he (Ranjith) called me to another room… the bedroom was dark. When I talked to the cinematographer over the phone, he (Ranjith) was playing with my bangles and touching my skin.”
“We women have the sixth sense. I felt uncomfortable, but I was trying to give him the benefit of doubt. I thought I was overthinking and thought he wanted to see my bangles. I was not feeling ok with him. After realising that I was not reacting or taking back my hand, he tried to play with my neck and hair. Then, I excused myself and got out of the room. This was not shocking. I know how the film industry works by and large. There are good and bad people,” she added.
The formation of Justice Hema Committee
On February 17, 2017, a leading Malayalam actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in her car by a group of men. A prominent actor was later implicated in the case which sparked outrage across Kerala and brought under the scanner the discriminatory treatment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), comprising women actors, producers, directors, and technicians, was formed in response to this incident. On May 18, 2017, the WCC submitted a petition to the Kerala Chief Minister demanding an inquiry into the incident, and larger gender issues plaguing the state’s film industry.
In July, the state government formed a three-member committee headed by Justice K Hema, a retired Kerala High Court judge, to look into issues of sexual harassment and pervasive gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry. After speaking to multiple women in the industry, the Committee submitted a 295-page report to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in December 2019. However, the report was only made public earlier this month.
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