Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith on August 25 resigned from the post of Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman following allegations of misbehaviour levelled against him by a Bengali actor.
In an audio clip sent to a television channel, Ranjith said he doesn’t want to continue in the position as it would adversely impact the reputation of the Left government in the state.
The filmmaker also vowed to fight the accusations against him legally.
Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra alleged that the filmmaker tried to make advances towards her during the pre-production of a 2009 movie.
A key constituent of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Communist Party of India (CPI), was among those calling for an investigation into Mitra's allegations, which resurfaced after Justice Hema Committee's findings.
The actress recently alleged that the award-winning filmmaker had behaved in an inappropriate manner when she came up for the shooting of a film, which he had helmed.
The filmmaker has rejected the Bengali actor's charge and said he was the “real victim” in the case.
Ranjith resigned following intense protests against him and the state government in view of the shocking charges.
On August 24, the opposition Congress and BJP demanded that Ranjith quit from his post as he has no moral right to continue in the position.
Meanwhile, senior Malayalam actor Siddique resigned from the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), a prominent actors’ body in Kerala, following rape and sexual assault allegations from an actress.
The senior actor said he had sent his resignation letter to the President of the organisation, Mohanlal. The allegations came in the wake of the churn in the Malayalam film industry following the release of Justice Hema Committee report, which pointed towards numerous incidents of casting couch and sexual abuse in the field.