Hyderabad: A young man from Kozhikode has lodged a sexual assault complaint against Malayalam director Ranjith Balakrishnan. The complaint, submitted to the state police chief, details an alleged incident that took place in 2012 at a five-star hotel in Bengaluru. This comes after a Bengali actor had accused the filmmaker of sexual misconduct.
According to the complainant, he met Ranjith during the shooting of the film Bavuttiyude Namathil in Kozhikode, where he expressed a desire to pursue an acting career. Ranjith reportedly provided him with his mobile number written on a tissue paper and instructed him to contact him via text. The complainant claims he was later invited to Ranjith's hotel room in Bengaluru under the guise of discussing a film opportunity.
Upon arriving at the hotel, the man alleges that Ranjith directed him to enter through a back gate, offered him alcohol, and then subjected him to sexual exploitation. The complainant recounted that Ranjith made inappropriate comments about his appearance and forced him to undress. He said that he could not fully express the extent of the alleged abuse but would provide more details to the police.
This accusation is significant as it marks the first male victim to come forward with sexual abuse allegations amidst the ongoing #MeToo movement in the Malayalam film industry. Ranjith, who recently resigned from his position as the head of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy following misconduct allegations before this, is facing increased scrutiny. Earlier this week, a non-bailable case was filed against him by a Bengali actor accusing him of similar misconduct.
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