Malayalam film industry, which critics and film aficionados describe as the best organised and disciplined sector, has gone berserk over the last few days following the release of the Hema Committee Report that probed the discrimination faced by women artists. By Saturday, a Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra came out in the open declaring that was glittering are not gold at least in the State's film world.
The CPI (M) - led Government in the State itself is vertically split over the follow up action to be initiated against certain film personalities who reportedly practiced "casting couch" as part of selection of female artists for roles in movies.
While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his sidekicks in the party hierarchy are of the view that it was not possible to proceed with the findings of the Hema Committee (led by K Hema, a retired judge of Kerala High Court, veteran actress Sarada and former IAS officer KB Valsalakumari, a one-time glamour girl of the State's bureaucracy) as no formal complaints have been lodged by the victims, Finance Minister KN Balagopalan and Industry Minister P Rajeeve, the top contenders for the post of Chief Minister, are of the view that the Government can file an FIR based on the findings of the report.
Saturday saw a Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra coming out in the open accusing movie maker and Kerala Chalachitra Academy Chairman Ranjith of misbehaving with her when she had gone to meet him seeking a chance in the film which was to be directed by him. The incident reportedly happened in 2009 in the run up to the production of the movie Paaleri Manikkam, to be directed by Ranjith which had Mammootti as the lead man.
"When I went to meet him, he took me to his bed room and touched me in an inappropriate manner and this made me come out of the room and leave the place," Mitra told reporters on Friday. By Saturday morning the issue snowballed into a controversy in the backdrop of the Hema Committee Report which has already caused a split in the union of actors (AMMA). Ranjith, scion of the Chalappuram Nair family in Kozhikode and hailing from a family of feudal landlords, stoutly denied Mitra's allegation.
A seasoned activist of the CPI (M), Ranjith said he has done no wrong and this was part of a conspiracy hatched against him by certain forces. "I met her in 2009 and why was she silent till now? There is no basis for this allegation," said Ranjith. But his contemporaries and industry veterans demanded the resignation of Ranjith from the chairmanship of the Government run Chalachitra Academy. Saji Cherian, Minister for culture, told reporters that no action could be taken against Ranjith based on some allegations.
